The sump pump automatically pumps excess water out of your basement & away from your home. In other words, sump pumps help prevent flooding & also eliminate moisture in your basement. A broken sump pump can leave your home open to unwanted flooding and property damage.

This is a Safety Task!

The sump pump automatically pumps excess water out of your basement & away from your home. In other words, sump pumps help prevent flooding & also eliminate moisture in your basement. A broken sump pump can leave your home open to unwanted flooding and property damage.

This is a Health Task!

Moisture in the basement can cause mold issues.

This is a Preventative Maintenance Task!

Wet wood will rot or dry rot over time causing future damage to the wood structure of your home.

HomeManager classifies this as an Insurance Task!

Tasks can be done by: Homeowner, Handyman, or Plumber

Task Steps

Step 1 – Inspect Sump Pump

• First, you need to locate where the drainpipe dumps into. Sometimes, it is connected to the home sewer system, usually right below the basement ceiling.
• If your home has this setup, you should be ready for the next step. However, if the pipe goes through the wall to the outside, make sure there isn’t any dirt or debris blocking the drain.
• Here is where it gets a little bit tricky. There should be two separate cords connected to the sump pump and plugged into the wall. Once you have traced them back to the outlet, you should see that one cord is plugged into the other. The cord plugged into the back of the other cord is “the pump cord,” and the cord plugged directly into the wall is “the float cord.”

Step 2 – Test Sump Pump

• Now, plug only “the pump cord” into the outlet to ensure the pump turns on properly (you should be able to hear the pump turn on)
• Plug both cords back the original way, plugging the “float cord” into the wall
• Locate the sump crock and remove the lid. Slowly start pouring the water from your bucket into the crock. Pay close attention to the sump pump switch because it should turn on and begin to pump the water from the pump. Once pumping, wait until it’s fully drained to ensure the pump turns off.
• For extra reassurance that the sump pump is in good working order, pour the remaining bit of water back into the crock to ensure that the sump pump continues to turn on once more.
• If you notice that your sump pump failed any of these tests, try it again. If the pump does not work, we recommend replacing the pump unit.

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