A sump pump is a special pump used for pumping and draining water from your house to locations where it can cause lesser problems. This pump is usually hard wired directly to your home’s electrical system. Other sump pumps have additional battery backup systems.
While these pumps are very beneficial, maintaining them is another story altogether. Many homeowners still make costly maintenance blunders with their pumps, necessitating costly sump pump repairs. This post discusses some of these blunders and how you can avoid them to prolong your pump’s services.
Table of contents
Keep reading to learn more and avoid these 7 mistakes.
1. Irregular System Testing
Correct timing is critical in every form of maintenance activity. Thus, know when to test your pump and do it regularly. Regular testing gives you sufficient time to do timely sump pump repairs when they are due. Always remember the adage that goes, “A stitch in time saves two,” when dealing with your pump’s testing issues. Otherwise, you could end up in serious and avoidable problems with your pump.
2. Not Checking Its Loose Wiring
It’s always beneficial to keep checking your pump to see if it has any loose wires. Failing to check the wiring could cause problems like the pump suddenly stopping to work. Checking for loose wires is easy and cheaper than repairing a dysfunctional pump.
So, how do you check your pump for loose wires, especially when you don’t have a mechanical background or experience? The process is as easy as ABC. You only need to turn off your sump pump’s power from its source. Next, disconnect your pump and then inspect it for any loose wires and replace those you find. Lastly, reinstall your pump, reconnect electricity, and test the machine to see how well it works.
3. Failing to Deal with Debris
Failing to deal with debris from your sump pump is another maintenance mistake some homeowners make. You can be proactive by ensuring that your pump doesn’t sit on loose silt or other small gravels the pump can easily suck in. Use large rocks to ensure the pump doesn’t get clogged and ruin its motor.
4. Failing to Listen to the Pump’s Warning Signs
Pumps have a way they communicate hidden problems in their systems. However, it takes a keen ear to notice these danger signs and resolve them before they spiral out of control to cause bigger problems. The pump’s motor can alert you of any problem to enable you to take timely measures. You can listen to the motor even when the machine and engine are running simultaneously. If you notice that no water is coming out, it could be that the pump’s valve is stuck or the water pipe is clogged.
Some problems are easy to resolve if you have some technical skills. However, others are too complex and require you to get a professional to perform sump pump repairs. This problem ushers in the next mistake, failing to bring in an expert on time.
5. Failing to Know When You Need Professional Intervention
You already saw that only a few homeowners have the technical skills to fix sump pump problems. However, some don’t know when to call an expert to fix the problem they troubleshot. They go ahead and overstep their expertise, causing more avoidable and costly problems. It’s prudent to call an expert to repair your pump if you check and notice that it isn’t discharging water properly.
6. Unplugging the Pump
Unplugging sump pumps is another blunder that happens in many homes. For instance, someone in the home goes down the basement and needs an electrical outlet for something. If they don’t find a free outlet, some people might disconnect the pump to use a portal and then forget to plug it again.
It’s always advisable to plug the pump again to avoid this problem. To fix it permanently, you should have one or two extra outlets where the pump is plugged to avoid this temptation entirely.
7. Operating Without a Backup Plan
Lacking a reliable battery backup is another mistake pump owners make. Lacking a battery backup can expose you to numerous problems if the power supply in your area or home gets disrupted. Therefore, it’s prudent to have a stable battery or generator alternative to keep you moving during power outages.
Many sump pump owners make grave maintenance blunders with their machines. These mistakes are costly and can disrupt the smooth flow of things in your home. Thus, it’s critical to avoid them at all costs to let your pump give you undisrupted services. This post’s insights should guide you in avoiding them in your home.