Five Reasons You Need a New Sump Pump

Your sump pump is one of those pieces of plumbing equipment you more than likely don’t think twice about on a regular basis. This small, simple system is designed to protect your basement and underground spaces from flood damage by collecting water and pumping it to the surface where it can be safely carried away by the sewer system. Normally, it works on its own without so much as a second thought—when the water in the basin reaches a certain level, the pump turns on and hauls the water away. In many cases the pump is so quiet you don’t even know it’s there throughout the rest of your home.

But like any other plumbing device, your sump pump will eventually grow old, wear out, and need replaced. Unfortunately for many homeowners, they don’t actually know when they need a new sump system until it’s too late, and a problem with their current pump has led to potentially serous damage to their basement space. As New Lenox plumbers, our goal is to help you avoid otherwise-preventable damage to your basement. So on this blog, we’ll explain five signs that you may want to consider investing in a new sump pump system.

System Age

We’ve already briefly touched on this in the introduction to this blog, but perhaps the single biggest indication that you may want to consider replacing your sump pump system soon is the age of your system. The average sump pump will last approximately 10 years under average conditions, so if it’s been about that long since you last replaced yours, then your pump may be approaching the end of its lifespan quickly. If your machine is showing no signs of problems then of course you can keep it, but be sure to pay close attention to it as something may cause it to give out soon.

Excessive Noise

No sump pump is perfectly silent, but the majority of modern systems are quiet enough to the point where you can’t hear them throughout your home, and they only make minimal noise in the room they’re in. If your system makes more noise than that, then a failure may be imminent. Excessive noise is usually caused by worn-out parts, loosening connections, and general wear and tear that comes from normal operation. This usually happens sooner rather than later if your sump pump isn’t properly maintained.

Difficulty Turning On & Off

Do you have to go down to the basement and kick your pump in order to get it to turn on? Does it not seem to want to turn off when your basin has completely dried up? Difficulty turning on and off is a sign of a worn-out sump pump that may be coming to the end of its lifespan. If you find your system is hesitant to fire up when you need it to, you should have it inspected by a professional plumber.

Continuous Running

Does your pump just seem to run continuously, no matter what the weather outside looks like? This is also a sign of a serious issue. A constantly running pump is also one which will more than likely wear out and die fairly soon, so this is another issue that needs to be taken care of as soon as possible. It could be caused by a faulty switch, bad sensor, or a number of other problems.

Dry Pit

Your sump pump pit needs to have water in it in order for your sump pump to function. If the pit dries out, you could have one of several different problems. If your system isn’t all that old, then you could have an issue with how it was installed in the first place, or you could have an issue with your drainage system. If your system is starting to get old, then you may have a continuous running problem, or your system simply has difficulty turning off when the basin reaches the appropriate level.