sump pump

spfcleveland

My sump used to run all the time now I barley hear it. The tube or basin appears normal and the basement is dry. I tested the pump by pouring water in and it kicked on. Should I be concerned and how long does a typical sump pump last? Should it be changed out after so many years even if it still working.

Daniel Holzman

I had a commercial grade Barnes cast iron sump pump, it lasted ten years with intermittent service (typically only ran about 3 or 4 days per year). It died one day during a flood, mostly because one leg of the power dropped when a tree hit the power line.

I now have a Zoeller commercial grade cast iron pump, should last about ten years if the power does not kill it first.

AllanJ

I have not read about guidelines on replacing a sump pump before it shows signs of wearing out. But to give peace of mind, you might consider digging a second pit and interconnect it with the first pit and put a second sump pump there as a backup. Now you would test both pumps from time to time so if one did break down you would replace it promptly.

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spfcleveland

Thanks for the info!

The Engineer

Pumps like to be cycled periodically. Most of the pump failures i've seen where from pumps that are never or barely used for several years. If a pump just sits there for a long time without cycling, there is no telling if it will activate during that one time a year when it needs to pump. As long as the pump looks okay and runs smooth, just dump some water down there once a month to cycle it a few times and it should be ready for the next big storm.