How to Troubleshoot a Sump Pump

If your sump pump isn't moving water when it should, here are some things to check to help figure out what's wrong.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Rubber Boots

1. Take a couple of personal safety precautions: If there's water standing in the basement, wear rubber boots to insulate you from accidental electric shock. Make sure that higher water has not come in contact with low-mounted electrical outlets before you reset any circuits.

2. Check the simplest possible problem first: Is the pump plugged in? If not, plug it in, first making sure that the cord and your hands are dry.

3. Find the fuse or breaker box and check for burned fuses or tripped circuits. Again, make sure that your hands are completely dry before working with these electrical malfunctions.

4. Check the float switch if your pump is activated by one. A float switch is a small, black plastic egg shape connected to the pump by a short electrical cord. If it isn't free to move or has become lodged under some foreign matter, the pump won't switch on.

5. Feel the pump itself - if you can feel the motor running but no water is moving, this could mean there's a clog in the pump screen or the drainpipe. Unplug the pump to check both of these.

6. Feel the bottom of the pump where the intake screen is located to see if lint, plastic or anything else is blocking the water inlet. This can slow the pumping action to a trickle or stop it completely.

7. Clear any debris from the screen. Remove the debris completely from the pit and put it in the trash to keep it from circulating about and re-lodging against the screen.

8. Check for a clogged drain line by disconnecting the line at the pump and then running the pump to see if water is being moved through the pump at a good rate. (Disconnect the line by undoing either a screw-together union or a rubber-and-hose clamp joint near the pump.)

9. Decide whether you've found the problem; if not, running a plumber's helper (a "snake") through the pipe to the main drain line is an option. Decide whether you're skilled enough to do this - or whether at this point you want to contact a plumber.

Tips & Warnings

• In a wet basement, you can reset tripped breakers using a wooden stick to protect yourself from shock.