Sump Pump

Looking to put in a sump pit and pump in our basement.  Who do I need to call - plumber or waterproofing company?  What does this usually cost (a ballpark range is good)?  Thanks.

I had a masonry guy do it.  There's cement work involved so I think thst's typical.

A basement waterproofing company. We used Quality 1st Basement Systems out of Perth Amboy. Cost will vary depending on square footage of your basement (if doing french drains), etc. Kenny was the person who came out to do the estimate. We got french drains and one sump pump in 2013 and have been pleased with the results. 

Whoever you get, check references carefully. You don't want to use either an incompetent or a crook. Lowest bid is not necessarily the best. Caveat emptor!

Many years ago, we used Vulcan to do a partial job. We were pleased with their work. Some years later, we had enough money to do the rest of the job and called Vulcan again. Totally different crew came this time. These guys did the job but tried to con me into doing some extra work "off the books." They also left beer bottles in their wake. We were not so pleased that time, to say the least. In fairness, I will say that their work (both jobs) held up well for many years until we eventually moved.

Beware that the Sump can back water into your basement during storms.  

Besides putting a normal A/C powered sump pump, have your plumber install a backup water powered pump as well.  Most plumbers will install a battery backup for the normal A/C powered sump which is fine for about 18 hours - if you get a blackout longer than that (and don't have a  generator!) water can backup into your house.

We used Quality 1st as well. We had had a major flood when our hot water heater's bottom wiped itself out one weekend when we were away. Came home to over a foot of water throughout the entire finished basement. Hadn't needed a sump pump before in the 25 years we'd been in the house, but we never wanted to go through that again.

We had the sump pump installed, along with a perimeter drain and a battery backup. (After two major outages we also added a standby generator, so the battery backup isn't as critical any longer, but the sump pump was installed first.) We were happy with their work and use them for a yearly maintenance check on the system and battery.