When you think of winter, what comes to your mind? Colder weather may be one, but you also probably think of rain, storms, and even snowmelt. Winter is quite the season for us here, and weather events can lead to flooding dangers that can lead to significant damage to homes in our area, including yours. Of course, you can protect your home against flooding with one very important system—the sump pump.
If your home already has a sump pump, you’re in good shape! But, you need to check and make sure it’s actually ready to do its job if needed. Since your sump pump only comes on occasionally, during an emergency, it’s important to know if it’s ready to do its job at any giving moment. Keep reading as we help you give your sump pump a short inspection and a test. You’ll learn ahead of time if you need sump pump repairs, or even if you should start looking into an upgrade.
Is Your Sump Pump Plugged In?
We’re sorry if it seems like we are asking an obvious question, but it’s still one that needs to be asked. Your sump pump might have gotten unplugged on accident over the season, and you do not want to find this out once flooding has occurred. It’s also wise to check on the outlet your sump pump is plugged into to ensure it’s a GFCI outlet, for your home safety. Make sure too that the “reset” button hasn’t popped up.
Clear Out Debris
Check out the sump—or rather, the pit—where water collects. Is there any debris in it that needs to be cleared away? Debris can potentially get caught in the sump pump’s lines.
Clean the Vent Hold
This is also called the “weep hole,” and is located on the discharge pipe. If this area of your sump pump gets blocked, it could airlock the sump pump, preventing it from functioning as it should.
Pour Water in the Sump Pump
Now comes the part where you actually test the functionality of your sump pump. Take a bucket of water and pour it into the sump pump. Watch to see if it raises the float and then activates the motor in the pump. Check the weep hold to see if a small stream of water comes out of it. Make sure that once the pump has finished removing the water that it shuts off again.
Once you’ve gone through the above steps, be sure to look over the rest of the piping and visually inspect if there are any leaks. Even if you just suspect a leak, please call us right away.
Professional Sump Pump Repair
If you test your sump pump and it doesn’t work, or doesn’t work as you think it should, then we recommend giving our staff a call right away so we can give your sump pump a closer look, and a professional touch.
We’ll be able to accurately diagnose the problem and find the best way to fix it so you can count on this system all season long.
For Ashburn, VA plumbing services, contact AllTech Services, Inc. today!