How to Test Your Sump Pump

We don’t ever really think that having something like a basement flood would happen to us, and so most people don’t prepare or test for it. If someone were to ask if you do test your sump pump ever few months, would you even be able to say if you knew how to do it? The truth is that most people wouldn’t know, and if you’re not regularly testing your sump pump, then it may not even be working correctly. If that’s the case, it could lead a flooded basement which is something that no one wants to deal with. So if you don’t know how to test your sump pump, we’ve written out a quick guide for you below.

Tips to Test if your sump pump is working.

  • Find the outside pipe that drains from the pump. Make sure that the inside of the pipe isn’t clogged up or have any dirt or debris blocking it.
  • After that, takes a Fill a large bucket with water and then pour the water into the sump pit. After that watch the water level in the pit.
  • You should see the float on the sump pump riding, and the pump will turn on well before the water reaches the top of the sump pit. Once the pit has been emptied, you should hear the sump pump turn off.
  • Once you;ve made sure that the pump will drain the water out of the pit, further insect the pump to make sure that the float doesn’t rise or the pump doesn’t turn on/off automatically.
  • Repeat these steps every few months!

If you’re not sure if the pump is working correctly, or you’ve tested your pump and are certain it doesn’t work – you should call a licensed plumber. They can come out and do a full inspection on your sump pump to see what needs to be fixed or replace it if need be.