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Nobody checks on the sump pump until they have to. It sits in a pit below the floor and runs on its own, so you don't find out it quit until there's standing water. Most of what goes wrong is a single failed part, and a lot of it gets fixed the same visit. Call (888) 697-0187 and we'll get a tech out to Burbank to look at it.
Pumps almost always show symptoms before they stop outright. Here's what to watch and listen for:
Two or three of these together usually means the pump is close to done.
The float switch is the single most common failure point on a sump pump. Tethered floats hang up on the pit wall or wrap around the discharge pipe, and vertical floats bind on the rod once silt works into the collar. Stuck up, the pump runs dry and cooks the motor. Stuck down, it never starts at all.
Silt, sand, and gravel work their way to the intake screen, and any remodel upstairs sends drywall dust and mortar slurry down there too. Where the water carries a lot of iron, ochre sludge coats the screen and chokes the flow. Clearing the basin and screen is routine, and plenty of times that's the entire repair.
Once the immediate problem is contained, most emergencies need follow-up work. If you're after something other than emergency service, these are available locally too:
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The check valve keeps pumped water from draining back into the pit, and when it fails the pump moves the same water over and over until the motor gives out. Farther up the line we find crushed or separated pipe, blockages, and outlets dumping close enough to the foundation that the water drains right back in. In colder areas the outlet can ice over and back the system up.
Sometimes the pump is fine and the circuit isn't. Tripped breakers, worn receptacles, nuisance GFCI trips, and cords knocked loose off the outlet all show up regularly. A genuinely burned motor announces itself, either by smell or by a housing that gets hot and moves no water.
Most sump pumps last 7 to 10 years, though a pump cycling year round in a high water table can wear out in five. Repair is usually the right call on a unit under about seven years old with one clear fault: a bad float switch, a clogged impeller, a failed check valve, a discharge line issue. Replacement wins once the motor is gone, the housing has rusted through, or you're on your third repair in two years. You'll hear which direction we'd take and the reasoning before anything gets ordered.
The storm that fills your pit often takes out the power on the same street, and a primary pump with no electricity is dead weight in the bottom of the basin. A backup system runs its own DC pump and float switch and takes over automatically when the main pump can't. Backup batteries last roughly three to five years and fail quietly, so anything older is worth testing.
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Most sump pumps run 7 to 10 years. A pump that cycles constantly in a high water table can wear out in five. One that rarely runs can seize from disuse, so age alone doesn’t tell the whole story, but past ten years you’re on borrowed time.
It depends on the pump’s age and what failed. Under about seven years with a bad float switch, a clogged impeller, or a failed check valve, repair is usually the better money. Burned-out motor, rusted-through housing, or a third repair in two years, and replacement wins.
It comes down to the part. Float switches, check valves, and discharge fittings sit at the low end. A failed motor or a full pump swap runs higher, and pit work or electrical repairs add to it. Call (888) 697-0187 for pricing on your situation.
Usually a float switch stuck in the up position, a failed check valve letting water drain back into the pit so the pump keeps re-pumping it, or more water coming in than the pump can move. Continuous running burns motors out fast, so it’s worth looking at right away.
Grinding generally means debris caught in the impeller or worn bearings. A hum with no water moving means the motor is getting power but the impeller isn’t turning, often a jam or a failed capacitor. A bang or rattle right after shutoff is usually the check valve.
Some of it. Checking the breaker and outlet, clearing debris out of the basin, freeing a stuck float, and cleaning the intake screen are all reasonable. Motor work, wiring, and repiping the discharge line are worth a licensed plumber, mostly because you’re dealing with electricity next to standing water.
If a power outage would mean water in your basement or crawl space, yes. Outages and heavy water tend to show up together. A backup system has its own DC pump and float and runs when the primary can’t. Plan on replacing the battery every three to five years.
