The Importance of Sump Pump Maintenance
The sump pump in your home may be hidden away in your basement or crawl space, out of sight and off your mind. However, for a home that experiences water seepage, a sump pump is a critical piece of equipment. They are vital for keeping your home protected from damages easily caused by water and it’s important to maintain them.
Like any piece of machinery, a sump pump can run into problems on occasion. The best way to ensure that your sump pump is working properly is to check on it every couple of months and have it serviced at least once a year. In certain circumstances, like a basement that builds up iron ochre, a sump pump may need to be serviced as many as 3 times a year.
According to Russ Dyer, our service technician here at Rainy Day Basement Systems, there are a couple ways in which a sump pump can fail, and there are many outcomes that can result from such failures. However, the worst case scenario is a flooded basement, which is exactly what the pump is there to prevent in the first place.
A pump can stop working efficiently in the instance of an air lock. This can happen when the vent hole gets clogged. When the pump turns off, the water between the discharge line and the check valve is drained back into the sump. The air in the line will compress and prevent the water from leaving the pump the next time the pump turns on. This causes the water to cavitate inside the basin rather than pump out like it is intended to.
Another possibility is a failed check valve. The check valve is a one-way valve that closes only when the sump stops pumping water out. This prevents the same water from going back into the pump twice and then having to be pumped out again. Because the water is leaving the pump vertically; in some cases, dirt and silt can settle on top of the valve preventing it from opening properly and allowing the sump to pump out effectively. This can cause a flooded pump and potentially a flooded basement or crawl space depending on how much water is coming in and how long it takes to find out the pump has failed.
The best way to avoid these complications is to check your sump pump periodically and have it serviced annually. When Russ goes out on annual service calls, he spends sometimes up to two hours making sure everything is in working order. He removes the sump completely, takes it apart and scrubs it piece by piece. He then checks the vent hole to make sure it’s clear of any congestion. Finally, a new check valve is replaced to ensure proper functioning. He also inspects all other components installed by Rainy Day to confirm the entire system is working as it should. Don’t let your flooding solution become your flooding source, care for your system after it’s installed and make sure it is always working for you.
These are before and after photos of a service job that Russ did in Ferndale, WA.