How To Prepare For The Storms

As we move toward the rainy season, now’s the time to have your sump pump tested.

A flooded basement is most often caused by a failure of your sump pump, usually due to a faulty switch. During the winter months, the pump rarely runs, and like many things, lack of exercise increases the risk of failure.

There are other factors that can create a pump failure such as a faulty check valve or a collapsed or broken discharge line for example. Each of the items should be tested one or more times per year to ensure they are operating and can be relied on to keep your basement dry.

How long does a sump pump last?

One of the most common sump pump related questions we are asked is, “How long does a sump pump last?”. There is no definitive answer to this question because there are too many variables involved like how often the pump is required to operate, what distance the pump needs to discharge the water, and the quality and capacity of the pump. Even the electrical source can have an effect on the pumps life cycle.

You should have your sump pump tested to be sure it operates properly, before it’s really needed.

Since there are no two situations exactly alike, it is difficult to establish or guess how long a sump pump will last. However, our experience in this area has found that a new high quality pump, like the ones we install, should last around 7-8 years under average conditions. If your pump is any older than this, we recommend that you replace the pump as soon as possible.

The typical price to replace a sump pump is around $400 including labor, materials, and taxes. With a 7 year life cycle, your cost is less than $5 per month to keep your basement and everything in it dry and safe. That’s pennies when compared to the cost and loss of a flooded basement.

A situation that happens too often that even a brand new sump pump cannot overcome is an electric outage, and we have experienced many of these in the past few of years, typically during a heavy rain storm. Without electricity, your basement is at risk of being flooded very quickly.

The good news is that you have a number of products you can use to avoid a flooded basement during a power outage. To learn more about these products you can visit our Back-up Sump Pump Information Page.

We’re always ready to help you understand more about your home or business.