Sump Pump Maintenance

Sump pumps are an angel sent from god if you live in an area where flooding occurs or even if you occasionally experience water backing up into your basement during bad weather conditions. A flood in your basement can damage personal belongings, destroy the foundation, ruin plumbing and rot surrounding wood. All of these things require money from your pocket to replace and fix and also lower the resale value of your home. It is definitely worth it in some cases to invest in a sump pump so that these water damage problems are taken care of before they get out of control.

Many of us take for granted that we have a sump pump and that it works effectively. For those of you that do own a sump pump, it is very important to regularly make sure that it is in proper working condition. For such a small machine, there are plenty of things that can go wrong. Below is a list of common problems that occur with sump pumps.

• Clogged Intake Screen
• Broken Float Switch
• Jammed Float Switch
• Clogged/Dirty Sump
• Burned-out Motor
• Perforated Float
• Tripped Reset Switch
• Tripped Breaker
• Blown Circuit

A clogged/dirty intake screen is the most common problem with sump pumps. It is very easy for dirt and debris to clog the gravel or rock collection area or plug up the inlet screen. The inlet screen contains small holes that are easily clogged. When debris reaches the inlet screen and it’s too large to make it through the holes then it ends up clogging the system. It really only takes a few large leaves to shut the system down.

This is why it is so important clean your sump pump on a regular basis. Below is a quick and easy maintenance procedure that you should perform regularly to check up on how your device is working.

• Clean the system out and remove clogged debris.
• Remove the cover and slowly pour water into the sump tank.
• Watch for the "float" to rise and trigger the pump.
• Once the pump is engaged, the water level will quickly lower and the float will shut off the pump.

If you follow these steps and see the float move, but the system doesn't eventually start up then it's time for a more serious check up. First check the electrical system and make sure that the unit is plugged into an outlet. If so, unplug it and test the outlet out by plugging in a lamp. If the lamp lights up then the outlet is working fine and your problem is not connected to the outlet. It might be the breaker though. Check the breaker.

If the device is receiving power but still isn’t activating, it may be related to three things which include the reset switch on the motor, the float switch or the motor itself. Sometimes the reset switch needs to be reset every now and then and the float switch needs to be replaced or tampered with, or the motor needs to be repaired because it was burned out from a serious clog.

Float switch problems are common. This occurs when the pump shifts from its position inside the basin, rendering the float ineffective. If the switch is removable then you might want to try the repair yourself. If the switch is built-in you might want to bring the apparatus to a local small appliance repair company. However, keep in mind that if you do decide to tamper with the repairs yourself that you must always cut of the electricity running to the device first.

In addition, another common problem with sump pumps is an electrical power outage. To safeguard yourself from this potential situation, it is wise to have a backup generator that can be manually activated. They only cost you about $100 and could potentially save you thousands in inconvenience later.