The pump is the part of the system that actually moves water out — and the part most worth getting right, including the backup that runs when the power does not.
Every drainage system ends at a sump basin, and every sump basin needs a pump that can keep up with the worst water your basement sees — not the average day. Contractors size pumps by gallons per hour against the vertical lift to the discharge point. An undersized pump runs constantly, burns out early, and floods the basement on the one night it matters.
Sump water must go somewhere legal: to daylight away from the foundation, to a dry well, or to a storm system where the town allows it. Discharging into a sanitary sewer is prohibited in most Connecticut towns, and a contractor who suggests it is a contractor to skip. Discharge lines also need freeze protection where they exit the house — a frozen discharge line in January backs the whole system up, and it is one of the most common winter failure modes.
If your basement already has a drain tile system and the only problem is a dead or undersized pump, a pump replacement ($309–$755 for a straightforward swap in national guides, more with a new basin or backup) solves it. If water is entering and there is no drainage system at all, a pump in a hole in the floor is a bucket, not a system — it needs drain tile feeding it. A contractor who sells you the pump without asking where the water comes from is selling you a repeat visit.
Two minutes. Matched with a local waterproofing contractor. Free written estimate, no obligation.