Submersible vs Pedestal Sump Pump: What’s The Difference?

Flooding in basements or crawl spaces can create all types of unwanted problems for home and business owners. Installing a sump pump can give you greater peace of mind by providing a reliable way to protect your residence or business from costly water damage. But what are the benefits of a pedestal vs a submersible sump pump? which one of the two types you should install, ultimately depends on what you expect from your sump pump, and how you intend to use your basement or crawlspace.

As you know, any sump pump is designed to pump excess water out of your basement or crawl space at a fast enough rate to prevent unwanted flooding and water damage. But variables such as noise, price, corrosion and esthetics all vary sump pump to sump pump. Careful consideration of these factors can help you determine which type of sump pump would be the best for your unique situation.

Properties of a submersible Sump Pump

The height and/or depth of your basement or crawl space is a big factor when determining which type of sump pump to purchase. Just as their name implies, submersible sump pumps are designed to operate while fully submerged under water. Because this style of sump pump is usually broader, it might not be a great choice for narrow crawl spaces. Submersible sump pumps can offer quieter operation, however, since water muffles much of the pumping sound when it is submerged. Of course, being underwater also helps to keep this style of sump pump cool.

Benefits of a submersible sump pump

• Space: Appropriate when you have more vertical than horizontal room
• Noise: More silent than a pedestal sump pump, unlikely to disturb you
• Overheat: Submersible pumps have better cooling, less likely to overheat
• Warranty: Generally has better warranty conditions
• Horsepower: More horsepower potential compared to pedestal sump pumps
• Solid Handling: Submersible sump pumps are better at handling solids, meaning that if it won’t get stuck as easily as a pedestal pump when there’s debris and small stones in the water.

Drawbacks of submersible sump pumps

• Corrosion: Can be more prone to corrosion
• Reparation: it’s a hassle to check and repair a submersible sump pump, because you need to take it out of the pit.
• Price: Typically more expensive than pedestal sump pumps
• Lifetime: Submersible sump pumps typically need replacement twice or thrice as quick as a pedestal sump pump.

Characteristics of pedestal Sump Pumps

While the submersible sump pump has become the more common and popular choice, for narrower spaces, pedestal sump pumps might be more appropriate.

These pumps sit on a base, or pedestal, designed to keep their motor out of the water while the pump portion removes unwanted water down below. These sump pumps tend to be less powerful than their fully submersible counterparts, and can take up valuable space because they are not completely submerged below grade. However, pedestal sump pumps are more affordable and easier to access for maintenance and repairs.

Benefits of a pedestal sump pump vs subersible sump pumps

• Price: Cheaper than submersible sump pumps
• Lifetime: With some models running for up to 25 years, pedestal sump pumps last on average twice as long as submersible ones, or more.
• Ease of repair: Since the motor sticks out, it’s easy to check and repair.
• Corrosion: Less likely to corrode, or water getting into the motor
• Space: Better suited for narrow sump pump pits

Drawbacks of pedestal pumps

• Noise: Pedestal pumps make more sound due to their elevated motor
• Warranty: Typically less years of use are warranted
• Space: They’re harder to hide, may not be suitable for basements used as living space.
• Solid handling: Pedestal sump pumps are less well-equiped to handle solids.

Types of material: Pedestal versus Submersible

Although you may be tempted to purchase a plastic sump pump for less money, a sump pump made of cast iron is more durable and will to stand up to years of use. Cast iron (used in pumps such as the Wayne CDU980E) also tends to be a better distributor of the heat generated by a sump pump motor.

Pedestal sump pumps are more often of the plastic type than submersible sump pumps. While (thermo)plastic submersible sump pumps definitely do exist, pedestal sump pumps rarely are made from cast iron. Their construction simply doesn’t go well with the material. Therefore, if you want a durable pump, you’ll usually end up choosing cast iron, and therefore a submersible sump pump.

Regardless of which style of sump pump you select, it is important to remember that sump pumps require electricity to operate. In situations where bad weather frequently leads to blackouts or excess water overburdens the primary sump pump, a battery backup could also be a good choice. We highly recommend reading up on the topic in our dedicated article on backups.

Making the Buying decision based on your situation

There are several situations conceivable that will have a profound impact on your choise between a subersible or a pedestal sump pump.

When you’re on a budget

We’ve said it before an we’ll say it again: if you’re on a budget, you’ll likely feel that your best fit is with a pedestal sump pump. These can be found for under $100 dollars. You’ll find that on our list of the 10 best cheap sump pumps, many are pedestal sump pumps. You may want to have a look at those.

When you use your basement as a living space

As mentioned, submersible sump pumps can be silent to the point that they’re inaubible. Pedestal sump pumps will never pump unnoticably. If you’re working, or simply relaxing in your basement, you’d best be adviced to go for a submersible sump pump. Another benefit is that it won’t stick out and take up more space than strictly necessary. With the sump cover on top, it may as well be a normal piece of floor.

When you need a powerful sump pump

When you’re faced with a lot of water flowing into your basement at once, you need to be able to pump it out quick, you need enough horsepower to do it successfully. Also, if the vertical distance that the water needs to be pumped is farther than usual, this requires a strong sump pump to maintain an acceptable GpH (Gallons per Hour).

In both these cases, you’ll need a sump pump with above average Horsepower, and therefore, you’ll be looking at submersible sump pumps. You can find plenty of powerful pumps in our list of the top 10 submersible sump pumps. If you need more than that, maybe you’d like to find our article on heavy duty sump pumps useful. Most of them are submersible, by the way.

When your sump pit collects a lot of debris

In this scenario, too, submersible sump pumps are the way to go, since these can handle solids with a larger diameter than pedestal sump pumps. That being said, when a domestic sump pump is confronted with many solids in the water, chances a mesh filtering the water that enters your sump pit will solve most of your problems too. Just make sure to regularly check and clean the mesh so that it doesn’t clog.

Maintenance

Once you have decided on a style of sump pump, regular maintenance is important. Testing your sump pump on a regular basis will help to ensure that your sump pump is ready to go when you need it the most. Making sure that the discharge lines connected with the sump pump are in good shape is another step you can take to help your sump pump operate optimally.

Sump pumps are an important tool to keep basements and crawl spaces dry and usable. Taking the time to select the sump pump best suited for your situation and performing regular maintenance on your unit can help save your home or business from the devastating water damage that results from flooded basements and crawl spaces.