A Springtime Test for Your Sump Pump

The Markham angle

Snow sits on Markham lawns for months, then leaves in a hurry. When the melt lines up with a week of April rain, the clay soil under much of the city holds water close to foundations, and the weeping tile around your basement sends it straight to the sump pit. A pump that sat idle all winter is asked to work hardest on the very first warm weekend.

Many houses in Cornell, Wismer Commons and Cathedraltown were built with sump pits as standard. Older homes in Unionville or Markham Village may have had one added later. Either way, the pump is a motor in a damp hole, and motors fail quietly.

One step after another

1. Look before you touch. Lift the pit lid and shine a flashlight in. Note the water level, any oily film, gravel or silt, and whether the float can move freely.
2. Check the power. Most pumps plug into a GFCI outlet. Press the reset button if it has tripped. A pump on an extension cord is a pump waiting to lose power.
3. Pour in water. Use a pail or two, slowly, till the float lifts. Listen for the motor to kick in, empty the pit within a short run and shut off cleanly.
4. Listen. A steady hum is normal. Grinding, rattling or a motor that runs without moving water points to a worn impeller or a clogged intake.
5. Walk outside. Find where the discharge pipe ends. It should drain well away from the foundation, not onto the driveway or a neighbour's side yard, and the end should be clear of leaves and ice.
6. Test the backup. With a battery unit installed, pull the plug on the primary and run the pail test once more. Check the battery date; many last only a few years.

Slip-ups we see often

• Testing only by lifting the float with a stick. That proves the switch works, not that the pump moves water.
• Leaving a discharge hose on the lawn all winter, where it freezes solid and backs water into the pit.
• Pouring cleaning chemicals into the pit to deal with odour. A little bleach-free water and a clean float are enough.
• Forgetting the check valve. Water that pours down into the pit whenever the pump stops, the valve above it has failed.

Time to pick up the phone

Call if the pump hums but will not empty the pit, short-cycles every minute or two, or is older than about ten years and has never been replaced. A pump that runs constantly even in dry weather also deserves a look; it may point to a high water table or a drainage problem around the house.

We handle sump pump repair, full pump replacement and battery backup systems. If water is already on the floor, our brief on sixty minutes after a flood is the place to start.

Quick answers