What a sump pump does
A sump pump sits in a pit at the lowest point of a crawl space, basement or yard drain. When water collects in the pit, a float rises, the pump switches on and pushes the water out through a discharge pipe. It only works in wet weather, so it can sit for months and then be needed all at once.
Signs your sump pump needs repair
- It does not turn on when the pit fills.
- It runs and never shuts off, even when the pit is empty.
- It runs but the water level does not drop.
- It turns on and off every few seconds.
- It is louder than it was: grinding, rattling or a hard thump when it stops.
- There is standing water in the crawl space or basement after rain.
- It is old and has never been checked.
What usually goes wrong
Most sump pump trouble comes down to a few parts. The float switch sticks or fails, so the pump does not know when to start or stop. The check valve on the discharge pipe fails and water runs back into the pit. The discharge line clogs or comes apart. Debris jams the pump. Or the motor has simply worn out.
A stuck float, a bad check valve or a blocked line can be repaired. A worn-out motor means a new pump. We test the system, find the cause, and tell you which it is and what it costs before we start.
Replacing a sump pump
When a pump has to be replaced, we size the new one for the pit and for how far and how high the water has to go. We check the discharge line and the check valve while we are there, because a new pump on a bad line fails the same way the old one did. Then we run it and show you it works.
Sump pumps in the East Bay
Most of our rain comes between November and March, and that is when sump pumps earn their keep. We see them most in hillside homes in the Hayward hills, Castro Valley and Oakland, in homes with low crawl spaces, and in yards where water runs toward the house. The best time to find out a pump is dead is before the first big storm.
About Friendly Services
We are a family-owned Hayward company with over 20 years in business. License CSLB #1156315 (C-36 plumbing). $1M general liability cover and workers' comp. Five-year workmanship warranty on our own work. 100+ five-star reviews online. If water is rising now, we are open 24/7 for emergencies.