Your sump pump protects your home’s basement from water damage. The pump is designed to remove water that comes in from the ground. Most sump pumps last roughly ten years (but can be much shorter if there is a significant amount of groundwater near your home). With that being said changing it more frequently is inexpensive ‘insurance’ (and you can do it yourself!).
How do I Know It’s Time to Change My Sump Pump?
If you hear noises from your sump pump, it’s most likely time to get a new one. As with any pump, there are moving parts and they wear out over time. Should you hear grinding or a new rattling noise when the pump turns on, it is an indication that the rotating piece at the bottom of the pump (the ‘impeller’) has worn out.
Motor Fatigue or Failure
If you hear your sump pump ‘humming’, the motor may be failing or may have already failed. For some homes, the sump pump works harder than at others based on the amount of ground water in the area. The starting and stopping that the motor needs to do to remove the water from the crock can only happen so many times before it fails. You can check for this by forcing the pump to start (lift up the float that is in the water) and ensure the water level goes down.
You should also keep in mind that if the impeller gets bent it can cause the motor to fail more quickly. We do not recommend trying to straighten the impeller as it is almost impossible to ensure it is truly straight. Given this, it may still cause the motor to fail earlier.
Pump Runs Continuously or Starts Erratically
The float activates a switch in the pump to turn it on. The switch can, at times, fail. If this happens and the pump stays running it can cause the motor to fail much faster than expected.
Similarly, if the pump cycles on and off regularly, it could indicate that the float is adjusted incorrectly or that there is a wiring issue. If this happens, it can lead to earlier motor failure as well.
Your Sump Pump Takes a Significant Amount of Time to Empty the Crock
If your sump pump is ‘working too hard’, it can mean that the motor is underpowered. Having an underpowered motor can lead to the motor failing earlier than expected as the motor can overheat. To properly calculate the correct horsepower, we recommend calling a professional plumber…like Irock Plumbing!
Sump Pump Options
There are many options today when it comes to sump pumps. You can purchase one with an alarm that will provide an audible noise if it is failing. You can also get a Wi-Fi connected pump that will send an alert to your phone that there is an issue. Call Irock Plumbing at 585-571-7399 for all of your sump pump needs.
