Sump Pumps in Smithfield, NC

What's different about Smithfield houses?

Age, mostly. The Johnston County seat on I-95 has a historic downtown and an older housing stock: the median home was built in 1973 and about 65% predate 1980, per Census survey data. Houses from that era almost never came with sump pits. If yours has one, it was likely added by a previous owner to deal with a wet crawl space, and the details of that work are worth a look.

Common issues in add-on systems include pits that are too small, pumps resting on gravel that clogs the intake, floats that catch on the pit wall and discharge pipes that end right at the foundation. Any one of them can make a healthy pump look like it's failing.

Can sump water go down the drain?

It shouldn't. Smithfield runs its own sewer collection system, and Johnston County interceptors carry the flow to the county's Central Johnston County Regional Wastewater Facility south of town, which discharges to the Neuse River. Groundwater from a sump adds to everything those lines carry. The discharge should go out to the yard, on ground that slopes away from the house, not into a floor drain, laundry sink or cleanout.

What about a water-powered backup?

It's possible, but it needs backflow protection. A water-powered backup uses your drinking water line to move water out of the pit, so a device must keep pit water from being pulled back into the supply. Smithfield's cross-connection ordinance requires backflow assemblies based on degree of hazard, tested at installation and at least once a year by a town-approved certified tester, with repairs due within 30 days. Ask the plumber whether a backup would fall under that ordinance before choosing it.

A battery backup avoids the question entirely and works on town water or a private well. Outlying 27577 homes may be on Johnston County water or wells; on a well, a water-powered backup won't run in an outage at all.

Permits

Johnston County Building Inspections is contracted to handle building inspections for the Town of Smithfield, and the town's planning office issues the zoning permit first. A straight pump swap is usually simpler than a new pit or drain connection; the plumber can tell you what applies.