Sump Pumps – Two Practical Tips to Avoid Disaster

At PierMagic, we install sump pumps throughout Kansas City homes to eliminate water problems in basements. Sump pumps are great at what they do - keep water out of the basement. A typical sump pump can remove 1,000 – 2,200 gallons of water an hour keeping your basement or lower level dry and your belongings safe. But, unfortunately, in our years of working with sump pumps owners, we have also seen what happens when your sump pump fails…let’s just say it isn’t pretty. So in this blog post, we want to tell you about two ways you can avoid a sump pump failure disaster.

Test Your Sump Pump- Super Easy

Never assume something as important as your sump pump is always in working order. It’s a good idea to test your sump pump about once a month. (Because it’s easy to forget about, we tell customers to mark their calendars for the first or last day of the month to remind themselves to check it.) A sump pump test is easy to perform. Simply remove the lid on your sump pit, take a five-gallon bucket of water and pour it into the pit. This should cause the float to rise, triggering the motor to pump out the water. That’s it. It’s that simple. It takes less than five minutes. Remembering to do it is harder than actually doing it. If there is a problem with the float switch, the motor, or even a clog in the pipe to the outdoors, you’ll find out about it before the next big rain storm.

Get a Battery Back-Up Sump Pump

Another way to avoid disaster is to invest in a battery back-up sump pump. Because sump pumps rely on electricity, and during thunderstorms (when you need your sump pump the most) the power tends to fail, your sump pump may not be able to keep up with incoming water. The solution is a battery back-up sump pump. Battery back-up pumps do not rely on electricity and will kick in as soon as your main sump pump fails. It can even help remove water when your main pump is overwhelmed by the amount of water. These back-up pumps also sound an audible alarm if service is needed. They are the only way to ensure that your basement and belonging are protected from water.

RELATED: 2 Practical Tips to Avoid Sump Pump Disasters

If you need a sump pump installed, call PierMagic. We are experts at water management and waterproofing basements and we can protect your basement from leaks and flooding. While we’re there, we can even perform a free basement and foundation inspection.