Does your drainage system include a sump pump?
You should check the sump several times each season to make sure the pump is functioning and that the sump is free of debris. If the system is designed so roof water flows into the sump, you should install screens on the roof gutters and downspouts to prevent as much debris as possible from flowing through the lines and into the sump.
You should check the pump to be sure it is working by either observing to see if water is being discharged into the street, or by placing water from a garden hose into the sump casing to make the pump turn on and off a couple of times.
Sump Pump Troubleshooting:
1. If you are not sure if your pump is working, and the top of the pump is exposed, put water into the sump with a garden hose. The pump should turn on before the top of the pump is underwater.
2. If the pump is not working, the first thing to do is to make sure you have electricity to the electrical outlet. A quick easy method to see if you have electricity at the outlet is to plug in a household appliance, such as a hair dryer. If the appliance does not work, look to see if the GFI outlet has tripped. There should be two small buttons on the electrical outlet. Push in the “reset” button. If there is still no electricity at the outlet, check the circuit breaker in the electrical panel inside your house. Sometimes the panel may be on the outside wall of your house. If that circuit breaker has tripped, switch it off and then on.
3. If you still have no electricity at the outlet, you may have a defective breaker in the main panel, or a defective outlet at the pump. An electrician will need to replace one or both of these.
4. If there is electricity at the outlet and the pump is still not working, there is a problem with the pump. Call our office and we will remove the pump and check to see if we can find a problem. If we cannot find an obvious external problem, we will replace the pump.
5. We don’t think it is worth trying to repair a pump. By the time you pay shipping to the manufacturer, and pay for repairs, you still end up with a repaired pump. We think it is better to install a new pump.