6 Things Sump Pump Owners NEED to Know

Learn the top 6 must-know tips and tricks for your sump pump system!

Tips For Sump Pumps

1. Test your sump pump regularly. How? Pour a sufficient supply water into the sump pit to engage the pump. The pump should turn on, remove the water from the pit and shut itself off in a matter of seconds. Ensure that the float and the check valve move freely.

2. While you are at it be sure to remove any other material left behind such as grease or other solid material. A wet/dry shop vac works well for this.

3. Give it a once over. Clean your sump pit, remove any dirt, sand, gravel and other debris to increase the pump’s efficiency and prolong its life. Ensure that the discharge line opening is free of obstructions so that water can be pumped through the line and out of your basement or crawlspace.

4. Back it up. If your home experiences a power outage for an extended period, frequent power outages or if your primary sump pump fails, it’s good to have a battery backup. There are a couple of different kinds. One uses a marine-grade battery that can power it for up to 12 hours. Another uses water pressure from your home's water supply lines to force flood water out of your sump pit. Give us a call, chat or email and we’ll explain the different backup options. Don’t forget to check your battery often.
Realize that nothing lasts forever. Like any equipment with moving parts, sump pumps will wear out over time and will need to be replaced. Be prepared. The more critical the more prepared you need to be.

5. Be proactive with ownership of your system, ask questions and learn how it works, know who you are going to call when things are not working as they should ahead of time. Knowing your system inside and out will help you save money and stay away from “Emergency Situations”.

6. Installing a battery backup alarm system will alert you when the pump stops working even during a power outage.

Have a question or need help selecting equipment?
Call our experts: 855.329.4519
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Our Social Media

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We are a distributor of pumps, packaged pumping systems, on-site wastewater treatment equipment, on-site wastewater treatment systems, and custom electrical control panels for water and wastewater applications, water well supplies, drilling supplies, and water treatment equipment.

[elp]

Howdy Sir! I have NEVER HEARD of a Sump Pump BUT there was one in the house that I had rented. I honestly thought that one day a snake or bugs would come up through there at some point. I've moved since then, but I was looking at a house to buy and thought to myself "let me find out what the purpose of that sump pump is". Anyway, I've decided to buy a house that doesn't require a sump pump.
Just the same, I've created and saved this video in my Home and Car Mechanics file. Thank you for taking the time to make the video! We appreciate you.

[onerisbarett]

Thanks for posting this video and providing us the good SME tips on sump pumps. Appreciate you!

[PMartens]

Good tips, thank you! I have a home-made alarm system (Raspberry Pi, ultrasonic proximity sensor in tank, ability to send text messages over Internet), battery backup on the Pi, the network & Internet modem, generator in the shed (tested monthly) and a brand new pump in box on a shelf in the basement. Where we live with high water table and inconsistent electric company service, this has saved us from flooded basement more than once.

[michaelmccormick]

I am installing a battery back-up system tomorrow. Thanks, the vid helped a bit.

[NoblevilleCats]

Make sure the back up pump can handle a ton of rain-learned the hard way (had just
moved in the house) had the backup pump, and found out the hard way, that it was
not strong enough to work! NOW, have a battery powered generator, so that mess
does not happen again! Tried it out on a few days of light rain, worked like a charm.
Got the ECOFLOW 1300 about a thousand dollars-would highly recommend it, totally
worth the money! Good luck to all!

[csimet]

If you live in an area that your sump pump goes off on a regular basis (one or more times a day or at least a few times a week), I suggest having a backup pump pre-plumbed with a new check valve at the ready to drop in in 5 min. The plumbing should be setup so that the pump can easily be removed with the check valve by use of rubber pipe couplers. Last thing you want is a failure and no way to get a new pump in fast. They *will* fail and at the worse time possible.

I have a backup at the ready, an in-sump water jet backup to my main pump (no power needed) and a floor pool-pump at the ready for any needed swap event.

Tip... drain your humidifier and dehumidifier to the well too. Keeps the pump active (and tested), especially for those areas that the pump is seldom used. Exercises the pump, float and switch.

[teemareetv]

What a great video. Thank you for this information and the wonderful pace as you delivered the information. Appreciate it

[patribtr]

good info for someone that is new to sump pumps. thanks for explaining !

[edrisaoojones]

Thank You
For your vivid instructional insights
Absolutely
GREAT instructor.

[sylviamartin]

you are so helpful, thank you. new old home with a sump i am quite relieved when i watch your vids thank you!

[kolaida]

I’m so confused about my sump pump. It’s making loud noises. But this is still helpful as I knew pretty much next to nothing about it until now.😂😭😅

[TheSarkons]

I always have a spare sump pump on hand. This has saved me before - for example my float arm failed. I was able to swap the pump in a few minutes and buy a replacement float arm within a day.

[Jim-resr]

I like videos that have people that know their stuff. Thanks

[leelavathy]

Wow, thank you man. You provided valuable info

[ernestleo]

Very good video providing excellent advise except for the backup system. In reviewing backup systems I found the water powered backup sump pump was more reliable because you are not concerned about power being out for several days and the battery runs dry. The water powered sump pump saved me more than once when the switch on the electric pump failed.

[lottieyoung]

Thank you very much for the information very usable

[PetePuebla]

Great informal video. Thanks for sharing! Liked and subscribed.

[Appalachianitis]

My eight-year-old son really enjoyed watching this video. Thanks.

[remodelassets]

Love the Worst music at the beginning 😂🤷‍♂️💯Great video 👍Thanks for the tips!

[vbrad]

We have a very small pit for our pump, no way to add an additional fixture for a battery unit or an alarm. One thing we have done...Amazon sells battery powered water alarms. We bought a set of 4 of them, scattered them around the basement, and put one right next to the sump pit. If the pump fails and water seeps over the top, it hits the alarm and puts out a tone, similar to what a smoke alarm does. We haven't had the one at the pump trigger yet, but a couple of the other alarms in the basement have been hit by seepage, and let us know it. They were a good $30 purchase.