Do you need a pump for your plumbing system? Under most circumstances, probably not. Out here in the Nevada desert, the majority of our plumbing fixtures work on simple water pressure and the forces of gravity alone. However, pumps are not unheard of, and a special instance may make a pump necessary. When is this the case? On this blog, we’ll explain a few different kinds of plumbing pumps and tell you when you might need to have one for your home.

You’ve probably seen the old movies where someone goes to the well and then cranks a hand pump in order to draw the water stored within it up to the surface. These still exist, but are almost exclusively relegated to museum pieces and historical displays. Today’s homes that still operate on well water now use electric pumps to draw up the water that’s needed.

Not a lot of properties draw their water from wells, but it isn’t exactly unheard-of, either. This is particularly true for homes that are built a distance away from city centers or on large plots of property. Because the cost of building a main water line and factoring in a connection can be extremely high, particularly if the home is built well away from the actual nearest water connection, many people choose to feed their home with water through a well. The homeowner simply purchases water when they need it, and a delivery truck then dumps it into a buried storage well. From there, the homeowner engages an electric pump when water is needed, and the water is drawn up to the home where it can be properly used.

Sump pumps are pumps that are used to protect underground spaces from potential floodwaters. These are not commonly found in Las Vegas homes for two reasons: 1- there aren’t really a ton of basements in the area, and 2- it doesn’t tend to rain a whole lot here. However, businesses that have underground space will find one of these pumps extremely necessary. This is because it is often the underground spaces in the driest areas that are the most at-risk for flooding. During heavy rain, the soil simply can’t absorb the water as fast as it falls, and that means the water continues to permeate down further and further into the soil. That’s when water starts to seep through walls and into these underground rooms. Or, in the case of the  city’s famous underground house , possibly the entire house.

To protect against this, underground structures are built with  sump basins,  or basins where this water is funneled to so it can safely collect. These basins can fill up fairly quickly during a huge rainstorm, but a standard, traditional drain doesn’t work in a basement because gravity can’t feed the water out to the sewer like it normally would. Instead, a pump hauls this collected basin water up to ground level, where it can safely join the rest of your home’s wastewater and reach the drain system appropriately.

Grinder pumps are also designed for use in underground rooms, but they have a practical purpose. For that reason, they are actually extremely common in businesses that have underground operations. Grinder pumps are a lot like sump pumps in that their entire purpose is to bring water from an underground space up to ground level. However, grinder pumps have an extra feature that allows them to do something important: they also contain a grinder that mashes up solid waste, allowing it to also be pumped upward.

Why would you need to do this? If you have an underground floor that has a bathroom, grinder pumps are what allow you to have a toilet and sink. If you have an underground kitchenette or even a full-fledged kitchen with a garbage disposal, grinder pumps are what let you use the garbage disposal without worry. Grinder pumps mash the waste into pumpable pulp that the pump can then send upward through your drain lines. Once again, they aren’t incredibly common when it comes to Las Vegas, but they aren’t unheard of, particularly in commercial or multi-family residential applications.

Finally, perhaps the most common type of plumbing pump in Las Vegas is the pool pump. If you have an in-ground pool, the water in your pool needs to be able to reach your filtration system, which cleans the water to remove impurities. However, because this cleaning system is typically also above-ground, the water can’t simply utilize gravity to flow upward. Instead, you have to turn on a pump to force it through the cleaning system. Once the water has been cleaned, that same pump then injects the water back into your pool through a series of strategically placed water jets built into the wall of your pool.

Pool pumps also often contain a connection to your main water lines because it’s not uncommon for hot, dry weather to slowly evaporate water out of your pool. That means you will need to refill it, and this is done automatically by turning on this water connection and circulating new water into the system. If you have a plumbing pump that needs to be serviced, call Las Vegas’s most trusted name in plumbing services!  Reach out to Lange Plumbing & Fire Protection  by calling (702) 500-0936 today.

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