Sump pump failure can do extensive damage

Mother Nature is handing us torrential downpours as we close out October. The rain is going to wreak havoc on trick-or-treaters who go out tonight, as they do in Hudson. Unfortunately, the rain can also put your sump pump under extreme pressure, possibly to the point of sump pump failure.

You’ve probably noticed many times how hard your sump pump has to work to clear water away and keep your basement dry. Have you ever considered what happens when the pump fails? Or what if you lose power and you don’t have a battery backup? In no time at all your basement could become flooded, and that could cost you thousands of dollars.

Now the good news is that sump pumps can last 10 years or longer. But like any mechanical device with moving parts, it will at some point fail. If your pump is more than 10 or 12 years old, you’re probably on borrowed time. This weekend especially you’ll want to keep an eye on the sump pump. Of course, if you think your pump needs to be replaced, it’s better to do it before the winter weather kicks in. Don’t kid yourself, we’ve seen pumps fail in January because a fluke rainstorm triggered a lot of snow to melt, and the result was too much for aging pumps to handle.

How a sump pump works

A sump pump is a very simple device. It sits in a hole that’s dug in a corner of your basement. It doesn’t require any special wiring. They just run on normal household current. The pump has a switch that turns it on by means of a pressure sensor or, more commonly, a float activator, kind of like you see in the toilet. The float has a ball connected to an arm, and as the water rises, so does the arm until it switches the pump on.

When turned on, an impeller forces the water towards the edges of the pipe which creates a low-pressure center. Water fills in the center and is pushed through the pipe by the spinning impeller. A check valve keeps the water from flowing back down the pipe into the hole.

Lots of things can cause a pump to fail, but the most common failures are caused by power failure, or by improper installation. Or, the pump may just be the wrong size for your home.

Replacing the pump can be tricky, and you don’t want to get it wrong or it won’t work like it’s supposed to. You’ll have a lot more peace of mind if you let The Plumbing Source handle the installation.

So if you’re concerned about the state of your sump pump, give us a call before a catastrophic flood ruins your belongings. We’ll give you a detailed estimate for the sump pump that meets your needs.

Let us be your source for all your common plumbing repairs. We have the trained staff and a large selection of  products in stock at all times. And with our fleet of trucks equipped with GPS, we could literally be right around the corner!

Call us today! And remember, when you call The Plumbing Source, you’ve made the RIGHT call!