For many homeowners, the thought never occurs to them that their sump pump even requires maintenance. Like any other machine, like your coffee machine or your car, sump pumps requires attention in order to perform the way they are intended to. Luckily, performing maintenance on your sump pump is simple! Here’s how you can improve the longevity and performance of your sump pump for Windsor’s impending heavy summer rainfalls.
The Simple 3-4 Month Check-In
Your sump pump is pretty independent. It only needs your attention every 3-4 months! There are a few things you want to address in these easy check-ins:
- First, you want to see if it is working. Grab a big bucket of water and dump it into the sump pit until the water is high enough to raise the float switch, activating the pump. If the water level in the pit starts to lower, congratulations! You’re in business.
- While the pump is actively discharging water, you’ll also want to check on the end of the discharge line outside your home. If water is flowing, then your pipe is clear. If not, then your discharge pipe is likely blocked and will require attention.
- Next, unplug and remove the sump pump from the pit to clean it. You want to focus on the inlet screen and remove any debris that may be caught in it. We want a clear path for the water to enter the pump!
- While the sump pump is out of the pit, this is the perfect time to dump out the old water that was standing in the basin.
- Finally, when the sump pump and basin are placed back in the pit, you’ll want to pour some fresh water in there. That way the next time the pump activates, it won’t run dry and put unnecessary stress on the interior parts.
And done! If everything is functioning correctly, this shouldn’t take too much time. Again, this is every 3-4 months.
The Not-So-Scary Annual Check-In
Once a year, you’ll want to do the same process as outlined above, plus a couple extras:
- While the sump pump is out of the pit, you’ll want to check the body of it for any corrosion or rusting. These are signs that your sump pump may need to be replaced in the future.
- Each sump pump may have its own annual maintenance outlined in its manual, for example, lubricating the bearings inside the pump. Think of this as like your car’s oil change. Each kind of sump pump, like each different kind of car, may require different products to tune it up, so please refer to your manual to confirm wat you need!
- For those comfortable enough to check-in on electrical wiring, this would be a good time to take a look at the electrical connections to see if they are damaged at all.
Some homeowners may not be comfortable with these more intricate checks, and that’s okay! Supreme Basement Solutions offers sump pump maintenance services to do these checks for you, and keep everything up to speed.
So Back to the Original Question…
Why does a sump pump need yearly maintenance? To save yourself money and heartache. 10 minutes every few months, and a half hour every year could make the difference between a dry basement and a big wet hole in your pocket. The sump pump was placed there to protect your home and everything in it. By neglecting these simple maintenance checks, you’re taking a gamble with the unpredictable forces that cause basement floods. Our recommendation? Leave the gambling for Caesar’s on the weekend.
We at Supreme Basement Solutions offer only the best advice, solutions, and products to our customers, because we treat every home like our own. If you want to speak to an expert about more details, we encourage you to chat with us. Contact us or call us at 519.946.0363.