How to Ensure Your Sump Pump Works Properly

A sump pump can help protect your home from flooding if you live in an area with a high water table or if your home is in an area prone to flash floods. A sump pump may be a necessary installation for homes in your area, but it’s still quite probable that a flood won’t make it to your basement and that your unit won’t need to turn on for a very long time after installation. Sump pumps do not run until the sump (the basin that the pump sits in) begins to fill, so it can be difficult to tell whether or not your sump pump will operate properly when the time comes. For installation, repair, or maintenance of sump pumps in Moundsview and the surrounding areas, call the plumbing experts at Air Mechanical, Inc. Some experts recommend testing your sump pump every couple of months. Perhaps the most obvious way to test your sump pump is by pouring water into the basin. To test out the pump using this method, simply grab a bucket, pour in the water, and wait. If it doesn’t discharge any of the water, or if water seems to be draining quite slowly, you should call a technician sooner rather than later. You can also test your sump pump by simply unplugging the unit and plugging it back in to make sure it comes on. You should ask a professional about the best way to test your particular unit at installation or during a maintenance visit. Perhaps the best way to ensure that your sump pump is operating properly is by scheduling a maintenance visit with a professional every year, especially before the rainy season begins. A professional will check for issues that may have the potential to disable your unit at some point in the future, even if it seems to be working well now. They’ll make sure that the sump is clean and that none of the inlets are clogged. They’ll also check that the discharge pipe that leads outdoors is not clogged or frozen. You can schedule sump pump maintenance as part of regular plumbing maintenance with a professional like the ones at Air Mechanical, Inc.