whats the code recommendation for discharge pipes when installing a water powered back up sump pump with a primary sump pump. Separate discharge or can you use a Y and connect the backup to the primary discharge. Whats best?
Water powered Back up sump discharge
sump-pump
Related Topic
- Water – How to look for in a battery backup sump pump
- Discharge back-up sump above ground
- Plumbing – Sump pump running constantly – water coming in FROM discharge pipe
- Back up sump pump not working
- Sump pump discharge pipe connection broken inside basement
- Plumbing – Fixing sump pump discharge
- Water – Is sump pump supposed to discharge back onto property or onto the street curb
- Plumbing – Sump discharge freezing
Best Answer
The water powered sump pump, for all intents and purposes, can be considered a second sump pump in parallel with the first, and can be plumbed that way.
They can share a discharge pipe as long as the pipe is rated to carry the load of both pumps running simultaneously. Even if they should never, in practice, run at the same time, it would be inappropriate to attach both to a discharge pipe that could only handle one at a time. Most pumps I've run across seem to be installed with larger piping than they absolutely need, though, so you're probably ok combining them. Be sure to use two check valves, one for each pump, before they combine into the one discharge pipe.