A sump pump in your basement can help keep your home dry and free from flooding. However, sump pumps can fail over time or due to a lack of maintenance. To ensure your home stays dry and safe, always watch for signs that your sump pump may be on the verge of failure. Learn about four signs of sump pump failure that you should be aware of.
1. Noises and Vibrations
Noises and vibrations a sump pump generates can indicate a broken or dysfunctional motor, deteriorated or damaged parts, or a clog inside the pump.
Most of the time, loud noises and movements occur due to a stuck impeller. The part of the sump pump that pulls water down and out of the sump pit is called the impeller. It works like a propeller, but backwards. If the rotor breaks or bends, it can get out of balance, which can cause the motor to vibrate too much.
When the impeller moves too fast or is out of balance, it can cause the whole sump pump to vibrate too much. As the impeller spins faster, it puts more pressure on the shaft it’s attached to. This can damage the sump pump even more.
Hard refuse that gets into the sump pump and damages the impeller blades can also cause vibrations or cause the impeller to become stuck. This problem can be hard to fix, and you will often need to buy a new one most of the time.
2. Long Runtime
If your sump pump works for a long time or all the time, this is likely because it doesn’t have enough power. This long runtime might result from several issues, such as the size of the pipes, their paths, plumbing elbows, the size of the tank, the amount of water going through the system, and faulty or improperly installed check valve.
These variables can change how much power your sump pump needs to propel water from the basement to the outside of the house. If the pump doesn’t have enough power for the job, it will struggle to propel the water and run for a long time. In this case, get a professional to look at the pump and see if you need to fix or replace it.
3. Activation and Deactivation Issues
If the pump doesn’t turn on or off when it should, you may have a problem with the switch, the float, or the pump itself. If the pump doesn’t turn on, this could be because of a problem with the sensor, a lack of power, a clogged pump, or a burned-out pump.
If the pump doesn’t turn off, this could be because of a broken switch or stuck float, or the pump can’t handle the amount of water it’s moving. If the pump doesn’t turn on when it should, have a professional check the float switch first. If the problem is not with the float switch, you may need to get a new pump.
When a sump pump’s tank is too small for the volume of water it needs to hold, the pump runs repeatedly. Because of this, the pump has to work more often because the water fills up faster. When the water exceeds a certain level, the pump will switch on, and when the water runs out, the pump will turn off again.
Depending on how much water enters the basin, this loop can happen more than once daily. Over time, turning the pump on and off so often can damage the motor, which means you will need a new pump.
4. Rust
If your sump pump displays signs of rust, this could be because of iron bacteria or old age. This rust can make the water look much browner than usual. Rust can also cause a gel-like material to form due to the accumulation of bacteria, debris, and other fragments. This material can cause drainage lines to clog, which makes it hard for water to drain properly.
Contact us at Spartan Plumbing Inc for sump pump repairs and maintenance.
