Sump pump testing


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Old 03-27-07, 02:32 AM
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Unhappy Sump pump testing

Hi, I've just woken to find our basement has flooded. We had some very heavy rainfall last night and the are several large pools of water throughout the basement. I don't know whether the problem lies with our sump pump. The sump is full but doesn't appear to have overflowed but, as I'm new to living with sump issues, I have now idea how to test the pump. It's a Diamond 1/3 h.p. pump which, according to the instruction manual that was left with it, is about 3 years old. Is the pump likely to be the problem and how do I test it? Thanks
 
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Old 03-27-07, 03:53 AM
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Originally Posted by chezankev
Hi, I've just woken to find our basement has flooded. We had some very heavy rainfall last night and the are several large pools of water throughout the basement. I don't know whether the problem lies with our sump pump. The sump is full but doesn't appear to have overflowed but, as I'm new to living with sump issues, I have now idea how to test the pump. It's a Diamond 1/3 h.p. pump which, according to the instruction manual that was left with it, is about 3 years old. Is the pump likely to be the problem and how do I test it? Thanks
Water in other parts of your basement when the sump fails is not unusual. Water accumulates all around your foundation because the pump is not evacuating the water that drains into the sump. Open the pit cover and look at the pump itself. There is usually a "float" which looks like a black bobber that is intended to move up and down as the water level changes. Floats usually are attached by either a cord or ride up/down a vertical shaft. Grab the float move manually move it as high as it will go. If this doesn't trigger the pump motor, then either the switch on the pump has failed or the pump motor itself is bad. If you hear a motor turn on, watch the water level. If it moves down, the your motor is fine, but you may have a switch performance problem. If the motor humms, but water doesn't lower, then your pump may be either air-locked, or the water intake is blocked, or there is something keeping the impeller from spinning. Good Luck!
 
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Old 03-27-07, 04:27 AM
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Smile Sump pump testing

That's great, thanks. Glug, glug!
 
 

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