Emergency Plumbing

Sump Pump Repair and Replacement

A sump pump sits idle for weeks, then has to run flat out through a storm. Most failures come back to the float switch, the check valve or a discharge line with nowhere to send the water.

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What is included

Sump pump repair, replacement and backups

Pumps that will not start, will not stop, or run without moving water
Float switch and check valve replacement
Replacing worn-out pedestal and submersible pumps
Battery and water-powered backup pumps
Frozen, crushed or badly pitched discharge lines
High-water alarms
Moving a sump pump off the sanitary sewer where it was tied in

Signs to look for

Is your sump pump failing?

The pump cycles every minute or so with no rain
Water rising in the pit and the pump not kicking on
A hum from the pit and no water moving
The pump keeps tripping its outlet or breaker
A high-water alarm or a backup unit beeping
Water running back into the pit each time the pump shuts off
An iced-up or blocked discharge pipe outside in winter

Why it happens

Why do sump pumps fail?

A float switch that sticks

The float tells the pump when to start and stop. It snags on the pit wall or its own cord, or the switch wears out, and the pump either never starts or never stops. Pump makers name the float switch as the first part to fail.

A check valve that has given up

The check valve stops pumped water falling back into the pit. When it fails, the same water gets pumped over and over, the pump cycles far more than it should, and it wears out early.

Debris at the intake

Silt, gravel and the odd lost object get drawn toward the intake. The motor runs, you hear it hum, and nothing moves.

Nowhere for the water to go

A discharge line that freezes in January, gets crushed by a mower or runs uphill leaves the pump working against a closed pipe. That burns out motors that had years left in them.

Age

Manufacturers put a sump pump's working life at roughly seven to ten years, depending on how hard it works. A pump that has run through every storm since it went in is near the end of that.

Our approach

From a dead pump to a dry basement

01
Watch it run
Water goes into the pit until the float lifts. Does the pump start, empty the pit, shut off, and does water run back afterwards? That narrows it to the switch, the valve, the pump or the line.
02
Check the power
A pump that trips its outlet is telling you something. The outlet and the circuit get checked, and the pump goes back on its own outlet, never an extension cord.
03
Repair the part or replace the pump
A float switch or a check valve is a part. A pump past its working life, or one burned out from running dry, gets replaced with one sized to the pit and the water coming in.
04
Sort out the discharge and the backup
The line outside gets checked for slope and freezing, and if you want a backup, it gets matched to your water supply.

A pump that waits for the worst night of the year

Sump pumps around here sit idle for weeks, then get asked to run flat out. In September 2011 Tropical Storm Lee brought Lebanon County into a federal disaster declaration, and flooding was mapped along the Quittapahilla near Annville. On August 31, 2018, Schaefferstown logged an unofficial 8.88 inches of rain in a single storm. Those are the nights a pump that has not run since spring finds out whether it still works.

So the call that matters is often the one before the storm. A pump that cycles too often, hums, or trips its outlet on a dry day is telling you what it will do on a wet one. In Jonestown, where the Little Swatara meets the Swatara, and in Annville along the Quittapahilla, that warning is worth taking seriously.

Where the water goes after the pit

Pumping the water out is half the job. The other half is where it ends up.

The discharge should leave the house and drain away from the foundation, not run back toward it. In winter, a line that holds water freezes solid, and a pump running against ice burns itself out. Enough slope for the line to drain between cycles, and an outside run that stays clear of drifted snow, keep it working through January.

The one place it cannot go is the sanitary sewer. Tying a sump pump into the house sewer line is not allowed here, and a plumber will reroute one that was connected that way.

Backup that matches your water

A backup pump only helps if it runs when the main pump cannot, and that usually means a power cut.

Battery backups run a second pump off a charged battery, and they work on any house. Water-powered backups use the pressure of public water to move the water out of the pit, with no electricity at all. That makes them a good fit on public water and no use on a private well, because a well pump needs power to make pressure in the first place. Out in the townships, where wells are common, the battery is the backup.

Pedestal or submersible

A pedestal pump keeps its motor up on a column above the pit, out of the water and easy to get at. A submersible sits down in the pit, out of the way, with the motor sealed against the water. Both do the job. What matters more is that the replacement suits the pit, the water coming in and the height the water has to be lifted to get outside.

Questions

Sump pump questions

General FAQ

Why is my sump pump running constantly when it is not raining?

Either groundwater is still coming in, or the float switch is stuck on. If the pit stays low and the pump keeps running, it is the switch. If the pit keeps refilling, the water table is up and the pump is doing its job. A failed check valve looks similar, because the pump keeps moving the same water that falls back.

My sump pump hums but does not pump. What is wrong?

Usually the intake is blocked or the impeller is jammed with debris, so the motor turns without moving water. Unplug it before anyone reaches into the pit. If it is clear and still only hums, the motor is likely done.

Why does my sump pump keep tripping the GFCI outlet?

Usually a fault in the motor or the cord, or moisture where it should not be. The National Electrical Code calls for GFCI protection on basement outlets, so swapping to an ordinary outlet is not the fix. Call us and a plumber will find out why it trips.

Will a water-powered backup work if I am on a well?

No. A water-powered backup runs on the pressure of public water, and a well pump needs electricity, so in a power cut there is no pressure to drive it. On a well, use a battery backup. On public water, either type works.

How long does a sump pump last?

Manufacturers put it at roughly seven to ten years, depending on how often it runs. A pump that runs through every storm wears faster than one that kicks on twice a year. If yours is near that age and starting to act up, replacing it before the next big storm beats replacing it during one.

Can my sump pump drain into the sewer?

No. The City of Lebanon prohibits tying a sump pump into the sanitary sewer, and so does North Lebanon Township's authority. A sewer main in the street can be as small as eight inches across, and groundwater pumped into it can push sewage up into a neighbor's basement. If yours is tied in, the discharge gets rerouted outside.

Do I need a battery backup?

If losing the pump would flood a finished basement, yes. The storms that knock the power out are the same storms that fill the pit. A battery backup runs a second pump when the main one loses power or fails, and its alarm tells you it has kicked in.

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