Understanding Sump Systems – Part 1 – The Opinion Conundrum

Before purchasing a sump pump, it is important to understand how sump pumps work and what their limitations are.  The retail environment can be confusing.  Like any other product, most consumers will want “the best”. In this case the best sump pump means the most reliable sump pump. Ask almost any retailer or store associate what their opinion is, and they will almost always answer honestly.  The problem is that an honest answer is not always the true answer.  As consumer, we generally believe that a store employee can give proper guidance when selecting products from their store shelf.  Whether commissioned, salaried or hourly, a sales associate’s primary function is to facilitate a sale between you and the store. Therefore their suggestions are limited to the products stocked in their employer’s store or warehouse.  To accomplish this, most will offer personal opinions to make you comfortable with your purchase.  Seldom will you hear a sales associate say they don’t know something.

Don’t get me wrong.  There are a lot of knowledgeable people in the sales field and their opinions can be extremely valuable in helping make some decisions. However, how many times have you asked a question and had the associate pick up a product or two and just read the label?  Or have you ever been told, “We sell lots of this and never hear anything bad!” or, “I use it and love it!”  Opinions based on hearsay, conjecture, or personal experience are unreliable at best. 

While the old adage is often true, “You get what you pay for!”, price alone can’t be used as a decision maker either.  Quite often the wear parts are not any better in a higher priced item than in the lower one.  A case in point is a simple spray nozzle for your garden hose.  You can buy one with a one piece cast metal body and a composite plastic trigger for under $10.  Under rigorous testing, the composite trigger will eventually break.  You can spend $20 on the same product  but with a metal body, a metal trigger and rubber grip.  If you look closely though, you will find that either the hose fitting will be seated on a composite material or some other moving part will be substandard.  $10 or $20, manufactures build in obsolescence or fail points.  No matter how many upgrades or improvements are made there will almost always be a fail point designed into or left somewhere in a product.  The truth is, that if you are spending $10-$20, you don’t worry too much and just buy another one.  But when you buy something to protect your loved ones, you home and your valuables,  you need to make sure it will always work.

This brings me back to the opinions of the sales associate.  While they can be valuable, anecdotal or personal experience are not reliable decision making tools.  It may be okay for small ticket items, but not safety equipment.  That’s what a sump pump is, safety equipment for your house.   A sump pump failure can result in tens of thousands of dollars of restoration work, mould remediation and losses in personal valuables.

With the advent of the internet, many consumers do product research before making buying decisions.  This can be another decision making minefield.  Filled with opposing opinions, commercials masquerading as forum posts, and more opinions than facts, surfing for help when making decisions can be even more confusing. 

I don’t mean to make a blanket judgement against getting opinions.  That is how most decisions in life are made.  The emphasis here is on asking the right questions.  To understand  what the right questions are, it is most important to understand the topic.  In part two, I will begin with an explanation of how sump pumps work and explain six things that can cause a sump pump to fail.

Admittedly, my goal here is to introduce you to a particular brand of sump pump.  However, as a foundation repair specialist with over 20 years experience with sump pumps, I invite you to seriously consider the following instalments and decide for yourself if my assertions are true.  Yes, the information is designed to lead you to the  conclusion that the best sump pump is out there, but also to help you understand why it is desperately needed. If you are still reading this, you obviously are one of the millions of households with a vested interest in sump pump technology.  I am not writing a technical article but I am hoping that the layperson can use this information to sift through all the misinformation and sales pitches and make an informed decision that will best suit their needs.  You may not end up buying the best sump pump, but at least you will have made an educated choice. 

Stayed tuned for Understanding Sump Systems – Part 2 – Sump Pump Theory