Sump Pump Installation, Replacement and Backup
Keep the basement dry through the spring thaw and heavy rain: new and replacement pumps, battery backups, check valves and discharge lines.
Is Your Basement at Risk? A Flood-Risk Checklist
- A musty smell, damp carpet, or a white crust along the bottom of the basement walls.
- A pump more than about 7 years old, or one nobody has tested since it went in.
- No backup power: when the electricity goes out in a storm, the pump stops.
- Water at the floor drain or along the joint between the wall and the floor after heavy rain.
- A pump that runs nonstop in spring, or starts and stops every minute or two.
- A discharge pipe that empties right beside the foundation, so the same water soaks back in.
Two or more of these, and it is worth having the pump, the pit and the discharge looked at before the next wet season. A sump pump is a simple machine, but it has to work on the one night a year when it really matters.
Pump Types Compared
Most basements here have one primary pump. What changes from house to house is the type, the size, and whether a backup is there for the night the power goes out.
| Type | Strengths | Weakness | Backup need |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pedestal pump | Motor sits above the pit, so it is easy to reach and service; fits narrow pits | Louder, and the exposed motor can be knocked or splashed | Needs a backup for power outages; the pit must have room for one |
| Submersible pump | Quieter, more pumping power, sealed motor under a lidded pit | Harder to reach for service; sits in the water it pumps | Pair it with a battery or water-powered backup in the same pit |
| Battery backup | Keeps pumping when a storm takes the power out | Limited hours on a charge and a lower pumping rate | It is the backup; the battery needs replacing every few years |
| Water-powered backup | No battery: runs on city water pressure for as long as the water flows | Uses a lot of city water; useless on a private well | It is the backup; the water supply to it needs backflow protection |
Spring Thaw and Black River Rain
March and April are sump pump season in Elyria
When the snow melts on frozen or saturated clay, the water has nowhere to go but sideways, toward basement walls and the drain tile around the footings. Add a few days of steady rain while the Black River and its branches are running high, and the ground around the house stays full of water for days. Pumps that sit idle all summer suddenly run for hours.
The same storms can overload older sewers. If water has ever come up through your floor drain in a heavy rain, ask us about a backwater valve on the main drain, which closes when the sewer pushes water back toward the house.
What Goes Into a Good Installation
The pump gets the attention, but a dry basement depends on the parts around it too:
- The pit: a solid liner with a sealed lid, big enough for the pump, the float's travel and a backup pump.
- The check valve: on the discharge pipe, so the water in the pipe does not fall back into the pit each time the pump stops.
- A union: so the pump can be lifted out and replaced without cutting the pipe.
- The discharge line: sloped to drain, through the wall above ground level, and carried well away from the foundation.
- Power: an outlet close to the pit for the pump alone, and a high-water alarm that sounds before the water reaches the floor.
Test Your Sump Pump Every Year
Late winter, before the thaw, is the right time. It takes about ten minutes:
-
Check the outside end
Make sure the discharge pipe outside is clear, not frozen, and not buried in snow or mulch.
-
Check the power
Make sure the pump is plugged in and the outlet works. Keep hands out of the pit water while it is plugged in.
-
Fill the pit
Pour a 5-gallon bucket of water slowly into the pit. The float should rise and the pump should start on its own.
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Watch it empty and stop
It should empty the pit quickly and shut off. Grinding or rattling means worn bearings or debris in the impeller.
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Watch the check valve
When the pump stops, water should not rush back down into the pit. If it does, the check valve has failed.
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Test the backup
Unplug the main pump, pour in water again and make sure the backup starts. Check the date on the battery.
If any step fails, call before the wet season rather than during it.
Discharge Lines and Drainage Rules
Why does my discharge line freeze, and what can I do?
In January the water left standing in the outdoor part of the line freezes, and the pump then pushes against ice. The fixes are a line that slopes so it drains completely after each cycle, no long flat runs above ground, and an ice guard fitting near the house that lets water spill out if the line further down is frozen or buried in snow.
Where is sump pump water allowed to drain?
Never into the sanitary sewer. In Elyria, the city's rules say sump pumps and footing drains drain to the storm sewer where one is available, unless the city approves something else, and the nearby communities have similar rules. Where water goes onto the lawn, it should run away from the house and not onto a neighbor's property or a sidewalk, where it would turn to ice.
Do I really need a battery backup?
If the basement is finished, holds anything you care about, or the pump runs often in spring, yes. The storms that bring the most water are the ones that knock out the power, which is exactly when a pump without a backup stops.
How long does a sump pump last?
Many last around 7 to 10 years, less in houses where they run for hours every spring. A pump that is near that age, or that has started to sound rough, is worth replacing on your schedule rather than in the middle of a storm.
Related Pages
Want the pump checked before the next big rain?
Call and describe the problem, or send a request with a good time to reach you. You get an honest quote before any work starts.