Any reason not to mount electronics for layout in sump pump closet?

I would not mount anything in a sump pump closet, if for no reason but to allow clear access to the sump pump.  If the pump is going to fail, it will usually fail at the worst time during a heavy rain.  (Speaking from experience.)

 

Rusty

There is a lot of clearance in there.  I would mout it out of the way of the pump.  The owners of the house before me built the closest way bigger then needed, to a point where I have a lot of waisted space.  

 

Clearance is not an issue at all.  Any other reason not too?  My biggest concern is moisture.  

Humidity is the issue especially in a confined space, which exponentially increases the problem, depending on where you are geographically.Sensitive electronics and high humidity is not a good match. If you do go ahead, I would consider a normally closed cabinet to hold the items vented to outside of the pump room that lets some air circulate but even then condensation inside of it might be an issue.

I understand your concern about mounting them in the sump pump closet but is there a reason you'd prefer not to mount them under the layout or on a cart that you can slide under the layout?  Something to consider is how much the signals will degrade between the TIU(s) and the remote when they have to go through a wall (and the increased distance).  I'd put the TIU closer to where you will be doing the most operating of the layout.

 

Regards,

Eric S.

Saline, MI

You are attempting to create a problem in need of a solution.

Why not tear down the closet walls, opening up the sump pump, thereby giving you the space?

 

I have had my layout over the sump pump in the corner of the basement for 27 years with no issues, either with electronics or water My layout is 48 inches high.

 

Best,  Mark

1.  I would make sure your sump crock has some kind of cover on the crock. At least it would cut down the moisture coming out of the crock.

 

2.  Does the closet have a vent through the wall to help with air circulation? This would also help with excessive moisture in the room.

 

3.  Also make sure your piping and the couplings on your check valve(if equipped) are in good working order. I have seen check valves and the rubber couplings, break and come apart spraying water all over everything in the immediate area.

 

 

Otherwise I would have no problem.

 

Truthfully, I think the concerns about mounting in the sump pump closet are probably a bit overblown.  I don't have any concerns about it unless it's really humid in the whole area.  I run a dehumidifier in my basement except for the winter months, and I don't see any issues with humidity, including the closed closet with the sump pump.

 

That is kinda what I was thinking.  It is not very humid in the basement and I also run a dehumidifier in the summer.

I think you should consider running a separate 20-amp electrical feed to power everything RR in the closet. It should be 12-2 with ground and be a home-run back to the breaker panel. When pumps and other motors start, they put large spikes in the electrical feed wires. Keeping the feeds separate will prevent weirdness.

I already have a plan for this, the electrical box is right next too the pump closet and I have room to add more circuits.  

 

I will be adding an additional 20 amp circuit that is totally separate then the pump.

Why don't you reduce the size of the closet? . I mean a few 2x4's and a little sheet rock and you'd gain that space on the out side
David

I surge suppressor on this circuit wouldn't be a bad idea either.

Why not just do what I did? Works well.

A week ago I would not have seen any problem with doing this.  However after the T&P valve on my hotwater tank failed and the tank blew out the side and flooded my home last week.. I've learned that water is unpredictable and always wins.

 

In your case piping or a fitting coming from the sump could fail and spray your electronics.

 

 

I already have a full house surge protection, but should I have one on this line also. I heard it wasn't good to have 2 surge suppressors on one line.

Something to think about.

I concur with Mich and others, anything that can go wrong will go wrong with water.

 

Constant battle with humidity and moldy smells in the basement in the summer time.

 

I  bought a dehumidifier with manual adjustment for humidity, then I plug it into a heavy duty mechanical electrical timer that is mounted inside an box. The timer is set for the dehumidifier not to be on will we are sleeping. With everything simple, when the power goes out, I don't loose every setting, its all stored in switch positions and tabs, I just need to move the timer wheel to the correct time.

 

Then I finally got smart and hooked up the hose to have it drain into the sump well. But first I had to figure out I had to turn it backwards because of the slope of the basement floor.

Just me but I wouldn't put my expensive electronics in a closet with a pool of water humidifier or not Period!
You can reduce the size of the closet or make a rack to hold your stuff.
As far as power you can just use a 4" square box and run 12/2 WG to it, get a 2 receptacle face plate and that'll give you 4 20 amp outlets or you can google a product called Wire mold They offer power strips that are hard wired in 4,6,8 and 10  foot lengths.
Two 20 amp dedicated circuits will last the average layout a good while and although making room for your equipment is somewhat of a PITA doing it now will make things a lot easier later.

David

Probably no real reason not to, except that it is just a bad idea. Water. Electronics.
Basements (admittedly, I have no experience with them).

Why beard the lion?

If I did put the electronics in the pump room then they would be at least 4 or 5 feet off the floor.  If they are under the table they will be a max of 2 feet off the floor.  I think they would have more chance of getting ruined from a flood from being under the table.   

Yep they would IF you had a flood BUT they wouldn't be sitting in an inclosed space every day with water vapor wafting up into them. That logic ranks right up there with why don't I build a lean -to roof and mount them outside it only rains every once in a while.

The big thing that you have to realize is anytime you have water and electricity theres a safety issue but you also have a process called electrolysis . This is something that happens when you have electrical connections , water and electricity . The water causes corrosion to form and the electricity accelerates the corrosion process . This is kinda like the battery cables on your car.

With that water vapor heavy air inside that closet I bet after 2 years you can take the tops off your electronics and connections will be corroded steel plates in transformers will be rusted .

I'm sure you have some kind of plan in your mind as to why your doing this but I think I'd take another route if I were you

David

Water/Humidity and Electronics do not mix well. My experience is, if there is a pipe around, sooner or later it will leak. Can you say: Murphy's Law! The only way I would put it in there if there was absolutely NO other place for it!

 

Apart from that, what do you gain by having it in there?

 

Simon

I'm curious as to why.  If you do go with a surge suppressor, go with a good one.  I've seen people very disappointed by thinking that their power strip with built in surge suppression would protect their electronics.  I used to use a UPS for just u computer but I am now plugging my DVR and other sensitive devices into them.

 

quote:

I already have a full house surge protection, but should I have one on this line also. I heard it wasn't good to have 2 surge suppressors on one line.

 

My data center management friends tell me there can be problems when a UPS is plugged into a building circuit that is protected by a UPS.

 

When we had our whole house surge protector installed, the lead electrician advised us that it would be a good idea to use local surge protectors too. The whole house protector is good for a surge coming from the power line. The local protectors are good for a surge coming from something else on the branch.

I can't imagine why there would be an issue with a local surge protector as well as the one on the main box.  Given the way a surge suppressor works, they're pretty autonomous in operation.

Water and anything electronic don't get along very well.  Also consider the ambient humidity.  Our train room got up to 70 percent for a couple of weeks and rust started on some turnouts.  Installed a dehumidifier to keep it at 50 percent or less and all is well now.