With all the tools ready, it was time to bite the bullet and make the first cut. As soon as the saw cut through the pipe wall, a flood of extra filthy water rushed out. I stuck it out and finished the cut. The lower part of the pipe, still attached to the old sump pump, lifted out easily and I got it drained. Once it was on the work bench, my faithful assistant Jim and I locked onto the pipe with the pipe wrench and…
…it turned easily. In moment, the pipe was loose and then free.
We took a closer look at the pipe and saw that a threaded one way value assembly had been attached to the pipe. I couldn’t have removed the pipe since it was all one piece and what I’d thought was a sliding coupler was fixed in place. Easy enough to see now that I wasn’t upside down with my head in a hole of full of dirty water.
I got the pipe cleaned up, took the old sump pump outside (banished it, really), and measured the connector piece to determine how much to cut off. My assistant and I had some trouble with this one, but finally made a decision and I got the pipe cut. A little seal tape on the threaded end and the lower pipe was on the shiny new pump. And the careful use of a screw-driver had the connector on the other end.
This time I was able to use a bucket to bail out some more water, then lowered the pump in and with some swearing I was able to force the connector in place. The screws on the 0-clamps were tightened, more water was added (just in case), and pump was plugged in.
The pumped kicked on and in moments, the water level in the sump was lowered back to normal. I watched as the water trickled back in and marveled as the pump kicked back on to take care of that once the float had risen high enough.
No leaks, nothing broke, no flood. It was, in a word, success.
BUT AT WHAT COST!?!!?
Well, about $127 for the sump pump, $10 for the connector, and about $20 for the wrench and saw.
I put the cover back on, but didn’t put the lattice up yet – just in case. (I do that a lot, don’t I?) The bathroom took a while to clean, but once the floor is dry it will be back to normal.
I sort of expected to have a flash of light and a shower of coins once I leveled up in my plumbing skills, but I just fixed some tea and settled in for the night.
I’ll check this again before I go to bed, but I’m pretty confident that everything is okay. If it wasn’t official before, it is now.
I’m a homeowner.