Sump Pump Algea

[pointer_hunter]

As I type, I'm trying to dry off and cool down This would have been the fourth sump pump in a year that I've replaced if I wouldn't have caught it in time. Luckily we have a battery backup that has paid for itself many times over! The problem (along with too much water) is the algea that builds up in the pipes and bottom of the sump. The pump sucks it up, gets clogged and burns out. Is there anything that I can do to prevent the algea? I thought about a few of the algea eaters from the pet store but don't think they'd survive very long in there. Any and all ideas are welcomed!!!

[Bearfootfarm]

Salt or vinegar will kill it

[peter nap]

Go to Walmart and get a bucket of chlorine tablets for swimming pools. Once a month, toss one in.

[Windy in Kansas]

A dose of bleach every so often will readily take care of it.

[fishhead]

In order for algae to grow it needs light. Is there a way to make it light proof?

Since you mentioned that it was growing inside the pipe (no light) I'm wondering if it isn't bacteria and not algae. Regular bleaching will take care of that.

[pointer_hunter]

It's from the drain tile around the basement...in the ground so there is no light. It's a brown slimey mess really. I put some bleach in last night and I'll get some salt and chlorine tablets this week. It just gets old because it never dies in the middle of the afternoon....always when I'm trying to go to sleep!

[gregbaka]

There are mesh filter bags made for a sump pump to fit into that keep gunk away from the pump.

You would probably need to use a pump with a float switch that moves vertically right next to the motor - the other "floating ball on a short cord" style would probably get stuck on the filter bag.

Or if your pipes that feed into the sump project a short distance into the sump pit you could hose-clamp the mouth of a filter bag to each pipe and collect the gunk in handy sacks before it ever gets to the sump pump. You may even be able to empty, rinse, and re-use the filter bags.

It is very strange that you have "brown slimey mess" coming out of your foundation drain. Silt, sand, or soil are kind of normal - slimey goo is not. Is perhaps your sewage pipe leaking where it exits the building and getting into the drain tile?

Greg in MO
Grub Hoes and Eye Hoes

[fishhead]

Salt and chlorine can be hard on some pumps so if you can I would remove the pump and give it a quick clean in diluted bleach followed by a thorough rinse and drying before re-installation. Once the pump is out I would hit the sump with some bleach too.

If you can't remove the pump easily you could hit the sump with 50:50 bleach and then flush it by pumping clean water through the sump.

Also, if you can I would backflush your drain tile with bleach water too.