Your sump pumpk can help keep your basement from flooding, but you also might not know that it needs to be replaced until it is too late to do so. Unless you keep a close eye on it, you might not know that your sump pump is failing until you have a severe dampness problem in your basement. On the other hand, you can save yourself thousands of dollars worth of repairs if you watch for the following signs that your sump pump is failing.
Frequent Cycling
A sump pump that constantly turns off and on may not necessarily be failing, but it still definitely requires your attention. This might be caused by a poorly adjusted float switch, or it could be caused by a fill basin that is too small for the amount of water it regularly handles. In any case, frequently cycling puts a lot of strain on your sump pump’s motor, and it could burn out as a result.
Long Run Times
Your sump pump doesn’t need to run for long periods of time in order to be effective. It should be able to do its job after a few minutes. If it runs for several minutes at a time, it could mean that the motor isn’t powerful enough to remove the amount of water that you are getting in your basement. Once again, this doesn’t necessarily mean that your sump pump is failing; what it means is that you need a more powerful pump for your basement.
Not Turning On
Having a sump pump that doesn’t turn on at all when it’s needed is obviously a problem. If you’re lucky, the issue is an incorrectly adjusted float switch. If you’re not lucky, your pump’s motor has burned out and needs to be replaced.
A Very Noisy Pump
The only thing you should hear from your sump pump is a low hum when it is working. If you hear more than that such as a rattling or grinding noise, it could be nearing the end of its life.
As we said before, a sump pump is one of those things that people don’t notice isn’t working until there is a flooding problem. If you notice anything that could be wrong with your sump pump, contact someone for a repair or replacement sooner rather than later.