home’s sump pump is usually found under the basement or in a crawl space, as long as it’s beneath the lowest level of the building. It’s responsible for collecting groundwater and diverting it away from your home, lowering the chances of flooding. As you can guess, the lack of a sump pump would mean constant flooding, which can wreak havoc on your home’s foundation.
You already know that water damage isn’t just bad for your home, but it’s bad for your wallet, too, with all the repairs that you’ll need to pay for. So no, it’s not just a simple blocked drain Five Dock residents usually experience. Keeping your sump pump clean so it can work properly is necessary if you want to avoid damage caused by forces of nature. If you’re not sure how to go about that, here are some helpful tips.
Disconnect the power and turn off the water
You can’t clean a sump pump properly if it’s still operating, so make sure you either unplug it from the outlet, or switch off the circuit that supplies power. As for the water, you don’t have to turn off the valve that supplies water to your entire home. You just need to turn off the water in any area a fixture drains directly to the sump pump. Otherwise, make sure that no one’s using any fixtures or appliances while working on the pump.
In addition, choose a day when it’s not raining, and a time you’re certain water won’t drain out of the sump pump while you’re cleaning.
Prep the work space
Wrap the pump with plastic sheeting, then try to remove it without scattering too much dirt on the floor. Ideally, cleaning should be done somewhere outside, so once you have the pump, carry it outside. Then make sure you have the other items you need: a large bucket, a hose pipe, a scraping tool, and a shop vac.
Start and end with the hose
Use the hose pipe to start rinsing off the pump. Once you’ve gotten rid of the first few layers of grime, you can take your tool – a trowel, for example – and start scraping off the rest. When you’ve scraped off the rest of the dirt, rinse off the pump once more using the hose pipe.
Don’t forget the sump pit
Once the sump pump is clean, you can turn your attention to the sump pit. Locate the check valve – where water drains into the pump. Simply place your bucket under the valve, open it, and let any excess water drain into the bucket.
You can then use the shop vac to suck up any water that’s still at the bottom of the sump pit. That way, when you replace the sump pump, both it and the pit will be clean.
Once you’re done, all that’s left is to put the sump pump back in the pit, then reconnect the power source as well as the check valve and discharge pipe. Congratulations! You’ve just finished cleaning your sump pump, ensuring it will operate as efficiently as possible.