{"id":18343,"date":"2021-09-21T16:05:34","date_gmt":"2021-09-21T16:05:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.puroclean.com\/massapequa-ny-puroclean-massapequa\/?post_type=blog&amp;p=18343"},"modified":"2021-09-21T16:05:34","modified_gmt":"2021-09-21T16:05:34","slug":"sump-pump-maintenance","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.puroclean.com\/massapequa-ny-puroclean-massapequa\/blog\/sump-pump-maintenance\/","title":{"rendered":"Sump Pump Maintenance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">A sump pump can be the difference between a costly flooding incident and a dry basement. There are two types of sump pumps: \u201csubmersible\u201d pumps that are installed under the floor in your basement or crawlspace, and \u201cpedestal\u201d pumps that sit above your sump basin. Sump pumps are used to \u201cpump\u201d groundwater away from your home and can evacuate large quantities of water, such as flooding, to other areas, such as storm drains or basins. Regular maintenance is required to keep your sump pump in good shape, and keep your basement dry year-round. To learn more about sump pump maintenance, below is a list of common sump pump mistakes to avoid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.puroclean.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/316\/2021\/09\/sump-pump-state-farm-1024x748-1-edited.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-18345\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>DIY Installation<\/strong> \u2013 If you\u2019ve never installed a sump pump, don\u2019t risk<br>doing it yourself. Improper installation can end up leading to costly<br>damages related to water backing up into the building. Hire a plumbing<br>professional to avoid the risks of improper installation.<br><strong>No Backup Power<\/strong> \u2013 During a powerful storm, your home can lose<br>power, leaving your sump pump without power. To prevent water from<br>backing up and flooding, ensure your sump pump has back-up power<br>such as that provided by a generator. It\u2019s important to make sure you<br>have a kill switch that does not allow the power line to the home to<br>be energized, causing possible electrocution of a lineman working to<br>restore power. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Not Testing Your Sump Pump <\/strong>\u2013 Test your sump pump system twice<br>a year \u2013 before spring and fall \u2013 to make sure that it\u2019s in good working<br>condition. To test the system, slowly pour water into the sump pit until<br>it activates the pump switch. If it empties slower than normal, check<br>the discharge pipe or the pump itself for clogs and other issues.<br><strong>Ignoring the Discharge Pipe<\/strong> \u2013 Check that the drainage pipes are<br>tightly connected and are directed away from your home\u2019s foundation.<br>Also, inspect the pipe for cracks, visible damage, and clogs. Seek<br>professional help at once if you find clogs or damage. Anything that<br>impedes the flow could result in basement flooding due to slow<br>drainage or no drainage at all.<br><strong>Letting Debris Get in the Pump <\/strong>\u2013 Ensure your sump pump doesn\u2019t<br>sit on debris such as silt or gravel, which could be sucked up into the<br>pump, damaging the motor or impellers. Instead, place it on steady,<br>flat bricks. Also, ensure the sump basin has a filter fabric around it to<br>stop debris from coming in.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Ignoring the Float Switch <\/strong>\u2013 This part tells the sump pump motor to<br>stop once the water level goes below the float. Your sump pump needs<br>ample space around the floatto be able to float and sink freely. During<br>routine maintenance, check that the float switch does not have any<br>cracks that could allow water into the float, thus preventing it from<br>rising and turning on the pump to evacuate water properly.<br>If there isn\u2019t enough room or if there is some type of obstruction in<br>the way, the float may become stuck in the on position and cause the<br>pump to work continuously. Running it dry can cause the motor to<br>burn up and fail.<br><strong>Unplugging the Pump <\/strong>\u2013 This can cause flooding if someone<br>unplugs the sump pump and forgets to plug it back in. To prevent<br>this, never unplug the pump or make sure you plug it back in if you do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Covering the Sump Pump<\/strong> \u2013 Knowing where your sump pump<br>is located is important. Piling contents, boxes, and other items on<br>top of it can make it obscure, and if it\u2019s \u201cout of sight, as the verbiage<br>goes, it\u2019s \u201cout of mind.\u201d It\u2019s important to keep this area free and clear<br>of any objects and materials so the sump pump can function<br>properly and have easy access to service and maintenance when<br>needed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A sump pump can be the difference between a costly flooding incident and a dry basement. There are two types of sump pumps: \u201csubmersible\u201d pumps that are installed under the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":503,"featured_media":19309,"template":"","blog-category":[],"class_list":["post-18343","blog","type-blog","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.puroclean.com\/massapequa-ny-puroclean-massapequa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/18343","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.puroclean.com\/massapequa-ny-puroclean-massapequa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.puroclean.com\/massapequa-ny-puroclean-massapequa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/blog"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.puroclean.com\/massapequa-ny-puroclean-massapequa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/503"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.puroclean.com\/massapequa-ny-puroclean-massapequa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/18343\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.puroclean.com\/massapequa-ny-puroclean-massapequa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19309"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.puroclean.com\/massapequa-ny-puroclean-massapequa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18343"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"blog-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.puroclean.com\/massapequa-ny-puroclean-massapequa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog-category?post=18343"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}