{"id":1036,"date":"2020-07-06T11:00:34","date_gmt":"2020-07-06T15:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.relianceplumbing.com\/blog\/?p=1036"},"modified":"2020-07-02T17:13:23","modified_gmt":"2020-07-02T21:13:23","slug":"time-test-sump-pump-what-to-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.relianceplumbing.com\/blog\/plumbing-service\/time-test-sump-pump-what-to-do\/","title":{"rendered":"Time to Test Your Sump Pump: Here&#8217;s What to Do"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-1037\" src=\"https:\/\/www.relianceplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Time-to-Test-Your-Sump-Pump-Heres-What-to-Do-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"backup-sump-pump\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.relianceplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Time-to-Test-Your-Sump-Pump-Heres-What-to-Do-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.relianceplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Time-to-Test-Your-Sump-Pump-Heres-What-to-Do-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.relianceplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Time-to-Test-Your-Sump-Pump-Heres-What-to-Do.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>How often do you think about your sump pump? If your answer is \u201crarely,\u201d you might be doing a disservice to yourself and your home. Households in this area are susceptible to flooding\u2014there\u2019s no denying that. But the good news is that it <em>can <\/em>be prevented, with a professionally installed and adequately cared-for sump pump.<\/p>\n<p>But how do you know if your sump pump <em>is <\/em>in good condition? Do you need to call a plumber every time it\u2019s about to rain to find out? Goodness no! While your sump pump should be <em>professionally <\/em>maintained at least once a year, you can and should test your sump pump on your own each quarter. Read on to learn more about what to do.<!--more--><\/p>\n<h2>Doing a Home Test for Your Sump Pump<\/h2>\n<p>Homeowners can do a fairly simple test to check the state of their some pump. There\u2019re a few things in particular you should check each quarter, at least, and then others you should look at after each big storm just to be sure everything is still in good condition.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Look for Signs of Wear and Tear: <\/strong>Both on a quarterly basis and after each big storm, check for apparent signs of wear and tear on or around your sump pump. Look for things like a frayed cord, and that the plug is all the way in the outlet\u2014a GFCI outlet, to be specific.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Add Water to the Basin:<\/strong> A sump pump is comprised of two components\u2014the sump (pit) and the pump that actually expels water. Add enough water to fill to the top of the pit, also known as the basin, and check to make sure that the pump starts up right away.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Clean the Grate at the Bottom of the Pump:<\/strong> The screen or grate located at the bottom of the pump might collect debris and require cleaning from time to time.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Check Your Drains:<\/strong> The drains leading out of the basement might go to the sewer line or to your yard. If it\u2019s the latter, check that the drainage can move freely, and that there is nothing blocking the opening. We install and service a number of storm drainage systems, so if this is a problem for you please don\u2019t hesitate to reach out.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>When Should You Call a Pro?<\/h2>\n<p>Once you\u2019ve tested your sump pump for operation, there are a few things you can do to make sure your sump pump is in good condition for one more potentially rainy season. In addition to following the above-mentioned steps, you can also make sure it\u2019s propped upright and you can secure it into place if it\u2019s not already. But there are times that necessitate calling a pro, such as if:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>You notice cracks or other signs of damage along with the sump pump cover or in the pit.<\/li>\n<li>Your sump pump has completely shut down and the circuit breaker doesn\u2019t reset it.<\/li>\n<li>Water isn\u2019t moving out quickly enough, and clearing debris from the drain doesn\u2019t help.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>For expert plumbing service, installations, or maintenance contact Reliance Plumbing Sewer &amp; Drainage, Inc. Our knowledgeable plumbers serve the North Shore and Northwest Chicago suburbs. Rely on Reliance! <a href=\"\/contact\/send-message\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Contact us<\/a> today to get in touch with a professional <a href=\"\/service-areas\/palatine-il-plumbing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">plumber in Palatine IL<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Do you need to call a plumber every time it\u2019s about to rain to find out if your sump pump works? Goodness no! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[81],"tags":[149,127,160],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.relianceplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1036"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.relianceplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.relianceplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.relianceplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.relianceplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1036"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.relianceplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1036\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1039,"href":"https:\/\/www.relianceplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1036\/revisions\/1039"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.relianceplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1036"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.relianceplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1036"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.relianceplumbing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1036"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}