Summary: Are you tired of dealing with a flooded basement every time there’s heavy rain? This informative post provides practical tips and solutions to help homeowners prevent their sump pump from becoming overwhelmed during a storm. The article covers several potential causes of sump pump failure, including inadequate pump capacity, a blocked discharge line, or a malfunctioning switch. It also offers practical solutions to prevent these issues, such as installing a backup pump or a battery backup system. You’ll also learn how to properly maintain your sump pump and prevent costly water damage to your home. Don’t let heavy rain ruin your day – these tips will help keep your basement dry and protected!
LESLIE: Renee wants to know how to stop sump pump filling after heavy rain. How can we help you today?
RENEE: My question is concerning my sump pump. Obviously, a sump pump in the basement. And for a long time – for several months, I had not heard the sump pump going on. A few weeks – a few months ago, when it was raining very hard, I went down to the basement to see why the sump pump wasn’t kicking on and it was the well was filled with water. So, I went ahead and I drained the water out by bucketing – taking buckets of this, pouring buckets of water out until I got down to see where the ball was. And it still wouldn’t come on. So I tapped the ball and eventually, when the water rose, it did kick on again.
But then now I’m hearing this gurgling sound in my kitchen-sink piping. And I want to know why.
TOM: Where is the sump pump discharging? Is it discharging into this basement sink?
RENEE: The sump pump discharges – it’s connected to the outside sewer line. And that’s – I guess that sewer – the line is connected to the basement – the kitchen sink.
TOM: OK. So first of all, it has to go through a trap. If it doesn’t go through a trap, you may get sewage gas that comes back into the basement. So that’s the first thing.
Secondly, the gurgling might just – because it doesn’t have enough water in the sump itself. You’re probably pulling a lot of air in there.
And thirdly, because of your sump pump filling after heavy rain, the source of that water is easily within your ability to repair and stop. Generally, with your sump pump filling after heavy rain, it’s because your gutters are clogged or overflowing or your downspouts are not discharging away from the foundation. Or the soil around the house is not sloping away from the outside walls. That’s what causes problems with water filling up in basements and floods in a sort – because that outside surface drainage is just not set up right.
So I would focus on improving your exterior drainage. There’s a great article on MoneyPit.com about how to solve wet basements. A lot of that advice applies to this. And then you’ll find that the sump pump will have to run that much less.
RENEE: OK. That’s great news.
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