Testing your sump pump a few times a year can help prevent dampness and serious flooding damage to your property. Many basements use french or channel drains to collect the water that would otherwise saturate the soil around your building’s basement and lead to rotting and dampness. The water is collected in a sump well or barrel before being pumped out. Having it run constantly would burn out the pump and cost a lot in electricity, so the pump works by activating when the water level within the sump/tank reaches a certain point. It triggers a switch and the pump activates to drain the water out through the drainage system.
Testing your sump pump: Check the Float
Sump pumps usually use a float or other sensor to activate and deactivate the pump. The float is typically a buoyant ball or bladder that may hang freely beside the pump. When this float is raised by the water it activates the switch and powers the pump. You can quickly test if this is working correctly by taking the float in your hand and raising it. If you don’t see a float there may be a different type of sensor in place and you will need to fill the tank yourself to see if the pump engages.
If doing this does not activate your pump, you need to get it looked at as soon as possible because it won’t come on automatically when you need it to.
Testing your sump pump: Regular Inspection is Key
If a sump pump or lifting station fails, you may be at risk of damage to your property. Whether that’s through mildew and dampness or more severe damage such as flooding. If it fails and you don’t know, it could take a long time to realise. And during that time lots can happen. So it’s good to test the pump a few times a year. At least once every season, especially the autumn and winter months when we get more wet weather and dampness. If you have any issues with this or you need to arrange a pump maintenance contract, we provide this as a service.
If you have any other questions about your sump pump or need assistance or would like to discuss arranging a maintenance contract for your system, you can give us a call on 1800 437 246
