Plumbing Service Tips: 7 Common Sump Pump Mistakes Homeowners Make | Normal, IL

Sump pumps are devices that help eliminate flooding incidents in the basements of homes. Homeowners without sump pumps or those with defective ones can experience floor damage, mold infestation, and waterborne diseases in their homes.

To prevent such issues from affecting you and your family financially or health wise, it would be best to visit a plumbing service company in Normal, IL, to get a specialist that will recommend the best sump pump for your home and install it. Some of the sump pump types you may find in the market include submersible, pedestal, water-powered and battery-operated backup, and combination sump pumps. Sometimes homeowners with sump pumps make mistakes that could make their appliances defective, triggering other issues in their homes.

That said, let’s discuss some of the sump pump mistakes you can avoid, ensuring your sump pump works efficiently.

Letting Debris Enter the Pump

Some homeowners lay their sump pumps on top of small-sized gravel, loose silt, and debris. It’s a wrong move since the tiny particles of these materials can sneak into the sump pump as it operates, making it clog.

Clogging, in turn, can make the mortar defective, forcing the whole system to come to a standstill. You can consult with a professional from a reliable plumbing company on which gravel and rock sizes to use to prevent clogging.

If your sump pump has run for some time while sitting on debris or loose gravel, it’s time to schedule a plumbing service appointment with the technician to offer you sump pump cleaning services.

Assess Check Valve Error

Check valves in sump pumps to prevent the pumped water from flowing backward. The check valve usually has an arrow printed around it, and the indicator shows which direction the arrow valve should face.

Some homeowners may accidentally set the arrow to point towards the sump pump. It can lead to water backflow issues in the pump. If you notice water flowing backward in your sump pump, ensure the arrow points away from the sump pump before seeking professional help from a plumbing company in Normal, IL.

Broken Discharge Pipe

Some homeowners will ignore conducting spot checks on discharge pipes of their sump pumps as long as the water is pumped out of their basements. It’s until they find items stored in their basement floating on water when they get concerned, looking for a reliable provider of emergency plumbing services to fix their sump pumps.

Broken sump pumps are among the causes of flooding in your basement while you have a sump pump. Ensure you schedule with your plumber to create and implement plumbing service plans for your sump pump to avoid advanced problems due to minute issues such as broken discharge pipes, which a professional can fix in a few minutes.

Unplugged Pump

You may go into your basement and need the outlet where your pump is connected to do something. Afterward, you hurriedly leave without plugging back your sump pump. If you don’t realize your sump pump is unplugged on time, you may experience floods during the storm season.

Always ensure your sump pump is plugged in and restrict the basement doors to prevent children from playing in the basement. However, you need to seek immediate sump pump repairs from a reliable plumbing service company if you notice water pooling in your basement and your sump pump is plugged in.

Failing to Inspect for Loose Wiring

Any electrical appliance, including sump pumps, entails a wiring system to supply the energy required to run efficiently. Checking your sump pump’s wiring system is a simple step that shouldn’t miss in your plumbing service maintenance schedule. You should take precautions by not handling the task yourself to avoid electrocution or fire accidents.

Consult with a skilled sump pump professional to handle the task and mend any defects, if present. The plumber should first turn off the pump from the power source, disconnect the pump, check any loose or deteriorated wires, and finally replace them. Regular wiring checkups will help prevent your sump pump from shutting abruptly.

Float Switch Defects

The float switch signals the sump pump to stop pumping when the water level is too low. Because of how it works, your sump pump requires a lot of space around the switch and floats for the arm to sink and float freely without straining.

Some homeowners may stack stuff near the sump pump, obstructing the float. It, in turn, makes the sump pump work ineffectively. The motor may burn, prompting you to look for emergency plumbing services when the float gets obstructed. Ensure you declutter the areas near your sump pump to make it work perfectly.

Failure to Test Your Sump Pump System

You need to conduct three assessment levels on your sump pump: when your pump constantly runs on non-rainy days, when the pump only runs when the flooding situation is worse, and when the pump doesn’t run completely.

It may be hard to do such tests and identify the main problems early if you don’t schedule regular sump pump services with your plumbing service company.

To run the tests, your plumber will pour about 5 gallons of water into the pump at an estimated rate at which rainwater enters the sump pump until when the float signals the pump to run.

Once the water levels have dropped, the pump should shut down, and the float goes back to its original position. If this process doesn’t happen to your system when the technician pours the water, it means the pump is defective and needs immediate plumbing services.

Get State-of-the-art Solutions at Covenant Plumbing!

You should ensure your sump pump is in perfect working condition throughout the year. At Covenant Plumbing, we offer immediate and quality plumbing services to homeowners in Normal, IL.

Our professionals are skilled and well-equipped in handling sump pump repair emergencies, maintenance activities, and new installations. We also offer leak detection, tankless water heater installation, backflow prevention, and piping services. Don’t hesitate to call us if you experience any plumbing issues in your home.