Sump pump repair and battery backups in Jersey City

A pump that runs and runs without stopping usually has one of three problems: the float is hung up on the basin wall or its own cord, the check valve has failed and the same water keeps falling back into the pit, or the pump is simply too small for what's coming in during a long rain. We can usually tell which by watching one cycle and feeling the discharge pipe. A pump that never rests wears out its motor quickly, so this is worth a call early.

Short-cycling, where the pump starts and stops every few seconds, is often a check valve stuck open or a float switch set too tight for the basin. A pump that hums but moves no water may have an impeller jammed with silt or gravel, or a burned motor that has finally given out. Silence while the water rises is the worst case: a tripped breaker, a failed switch or a dead motor. We carry replacement pumps on the truck for exactly that situation.

Old pits cause their own trouble. Clay crocks and unlined holes let silt and gravel wash into the pit, and that grit chews through impellers and jams floats. In older frame houses in Greenville it's common to find a pump sitting directly on dirt at the bottom of a hole. When we see that, we explain whether a new lined basin and pump is worth doing now or can safely wait.

Sometimes the pump is fine and the pipe outside is the real problem. In a cold snap, water sitting in an exterior discharge line can freeze into a solid plug, so the pump runs against a blocked pipe and either trips its breaker or burns out. Leaves, ice, soil and even a crushed section under a walkway can do the same thing in other seasons. We trace the line from the pit to its outlet and clear or rebuild whichever section has failed.

When we rebuild a line, we pitch it so it drains empty between cycles and add a freeze relief fitting near the wall that lets water spill out if the pipe downstream ices over. If the line has been dumping water right beside the foundation, we reroute it, because that water simply finds its way back to your pit. Where the yard allows, we tie it into an underground drain that carries it well away from the house.

A battery backup is a second pump in the same basin, set a little higher than the main pump, with its own float and a sealed battery kept charged by a small unit plugged into the wall. When the power fails or the primary pump can't keep up, the backup takes over and an alarm tells you it's running. Storms that knock out power are the same storms that fill your pit, which is why we suggest one in nearly every basement that has flooded before.

A water-powered backup uses city water pressure instead of a battery: water flowing through a venturi fitting pulls water up out of the pit. There's no battery to wear out, but it uses city water while it runs, depends on steady pressure and needs a connection to your water supply. We explain which one suits your house, and our pump and backup guide covers how each one behaves during a long outage.

Most pump failures we see were hiding for months. A float that sticks, a check valve that leaks or a battery that no longer holds a charge won't show itself until the night it matters. Before the fall nor'easter season and again before the spring thaw, pour water into the pit until the float lifts, then watch the pump empty it and shut off cleanly. It takes ten minutes and tells you far more than a glance at the lid.

If anything on the list below fails, call us before the next storm rather than after it. When a basement has already filled, our crew handles the pump-out and cleanup and repairs or replaces the pump on the same visit, so you aren't waiting on a second appointment while the walls stay wet.

• Pour a bucket of water into the basin and confirm the pump starts on its own
• Listen for the check valve closing with a soft thump, not a rush of water back into the pit
• Check that the outdoor outlet is clear of ice, leaves and soil
• Unplug the main pump and confirm the backup starts and the alarm sounds
• Check the date on the backup battery; most need replacing every few years
• Scoop silt and gravel off the basin floor