It’s no secret that water damage is a big deal. Water damage in your home can cause a lot of headaches and drain your wallet quickly. Typically, the area of your house most prone to water damage and toxins like mold or mildew is your basement. Luckily, basement flooding pumps, or sump pumps, can be a tremendous help when it comes to living in an area known to be damp or prone to flooding like Wisconsin. Plymouth and Sheboygan homeowners are no strangers to damp basements with all the lakes, rivers, and other bodies of water nearby.
Sump pumps are electric pumps designed to sit inside a hole or “sump pit” in your basement floor to help move excess water out of your home to a drainage location. While sump pumps are designed to keep water out of your home, they can’t do you any good if they don’t work properly. If you’re experiencing any sump pump issues, check out this list of the seven most common sump pump problems and what might be their cause.
1. Wrong Size Sump Pump
Possibly the most common issue of all when sump pumps are malfunctioning is the size of the pump. A pump that is too big will be constantly working overtime and may cause wear and tear quickly. The lifespan of your sump pump might be greatly reduced because it’s working too hard.
A pump that is too small can also cause problems. A pump that is too small won’t be able to take in and pump out water quickly enough, which also can cause a much shorter lifespan due to burnout.
Whether your pump is too large or too small, it’s likely to end in emergency plumbing services if it’s not addressed in time.
2. Improper Pump Installation
If your sump pump seems to be acting odd or isn’t performing like it should, it could be an issue of installation. One example of an incorrect installation maybe if you can hear the pump’s motor running with no water being pumped out. In that case, your pump may not be connected to a pipe to discharge the water.
It’s also a problem if your sump pump is sitting in loose rock or dirt. This placement is a quick way for the sump pump to collect debris that can get clogged up and cause a malfunction.
When you trust Plymouth Plumbing & Heating in your Sheboygan or surrounding Wisconsin community home for a sump pump installation, you can be sure it’s taken care of correctly the first time around.
3. Overworked Sump Pump
Even if you have a correctly sized sump pump, your pump may still be malfunctioning because it’s overworked. If you’ve recently experienced a large amount of heavy rain that occurred over a small timespan or frequent heavy rain, your pump may not be able to keep up with the work. At this point, you may want to consider upgrading your sump pump or adding multiples.
4. Clogged Sump Pump
A very common sump pump issue that may be causing your sump pump to malfunction is a simple clog. Sump pumps may easily clog if they’ve gone unused with no maintenance. Over time, dirt and debris may clog up your sump pump if it has no lid.
Some regular maintenance and cleaning can help prevent this, but if necessary, the professionals at Plymouth Plumbing and Heating can help you unclog or replace your machine.
5. A Stuck Switch
If you find yourself wondering why your sump pump isn’t turning on, or maybe isn’t turning off, it could be a stuck switch. Most sump pumps are activated by pressure sensors or float activators. Water in the pump (or lack thereof) will trigger the sensor or activator, flipping the switch to turn the pump on or off.
You may have an issue with a faulty or stuck switch if your pump isn’t turning on and off properly.
6. A Clogged Discharge Line
If you find that your pump is turning off and on frequently, this may be caused by a clogged drainage line. When the pump is doing its job collecting water, the water passes into a discharge line to be dumped out away from your property. If those lines freeze or they become clogged, it may cause your pump to malfunction and be unable to expel water, which is the reason behind your pump running more frequently than it should.
7. Power Outages
Power outages can also cause problems with sump pumps. If power in your home is out, this means your sump pump can’t work either, unless you choose to make the investment for a high-capacity backup battery or a backup sump pump, which can help handle potential flooding if you were to lose power during a storm.
Sump Pump Specialists Near Me
Just like most plumbing problems, there could be more than just one root cause of a sump pump issue. If you find that your sump pump isn’t functioning correctly, sump pump specialists near me can help. Plymouth Plumbing and Heating offer professional help for maintaining and repairing a sump pump in the Plymouth and Sheboygan, Wisconsin areas. Reach out today to schedule a repair or give us a call 24/7 if you’re experiencing an emergency plumbing situation.
