Is Your Sump Pump Ready for the Next Nor’easter

A ten minute, seven point check you can do yourself before storm season, plus what to do about the backup gap that catches most Shore homeowners out.

The rain that fills your crawlspace is usually the same weather that takes the power out, which is the worst possible time to discover that a sump pump has been sitting idle since March. This check takes about ten minutes and it is worth doing every autumn.

The ten minute check. Pour a bucket of water into the pit and watch. The pump should start within a few seconds, empty the pit, and stop cleanly. If it hesitates, runs on, or does not start, deal with it now rather than in a storm.

The seven point check

1. Pour a bucket in

Five gallons of water into the pit. The float should rise, the pump should start, the pit should empty and the pump should shut off without chattering. Anything else is a fault.

2. Watch the float

Switch failure is the most common reason a sump pump is dead when you need it. Make sure the float can move through its full travel and is not catching on the pit wall, the pipe or debris.

3. Check the check valve

When the pump stops, listen. A loud clunk and then silence is right. Water audibly running back into the pit means the check valve has failed, and the pump will now cycle twice for the same water and wear out early.

4. Follow the discharge outside

Walk the line to where it exits. It should discharge well away from the foundation and downhill. If it dumps two feet from the wall, you are pumping the same water round in a circle. Check the outlet is not blocked by leaves, soil or a nest.

5. Clear the pit

Gravel, silt, and debris in the bottom of the pit will eventually jam the impeller. Scoop it out.

6. Test the backup

If you have a battery backup, unplug the primary pump and pour water in again. The backup should take over. Check the battery date while you are there, because most last three to five years and then quietly stop holding charge.

7. Check the alarm

A high water alarm costs very little and tells you the pump has failed before the floor does. If you do not have one, it is the cheapest upgrade on this list.

If you have no backup

This is the gap worth closing before storm season on the Shore. A battery backup runs six to twelve hours on its own, which covers most outages here, and it adds $800 to $1,800. A water powered backup is an option where you have municipal pressure and no well. Full costs are in what sump pump installation costs.

Before the storm itself

• Clear gutters and downspouts, and extend downspout outlets away from the house. Most crawlspace water starts on the roof.
• Know where your main water shutoff is and check it turns.
• Move anything valuable off the crawlspace floor.
• Charge the backup battery and take a photo of the space so you have a before shot if you end up making a claim.

Questions We Get Asked About Sump Pumps and Storms

Get it checked before the season

A sump pump inspection is part of the annual visit under the Family Plan, or request service and we will come and test it properly.

Written by the team at Shoresteady Plumbing, Temperanceville, Virginia. Master plumbing licensed in Virginia and Maryland. Prices shown are typical ranges for the Eastern Shore, not a quote. Your written estimate is the only number that binds either of us.

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