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Is Your Sump Pump Supposed to Keep Water Out of your Basement?

A sump pump is designed to pump out water when it enters your basement. A sump pump sits in a pit that’s submerged slightly below the basement floor, which puts it in the right position to be the first point of entry for water that would enter your basement from the soil below. When water is detected, the sump pump should automatically turn on and begin pumping water out. If it is appropriately sized for the home and functioning properly, it should prevent water from collecting and causing a basement flood.

However, if a sump pump is undersized, clogged, or has a broken component, it can fail and cause your basement to flood anyways. In especially wet areas, sump pumps can run too often, causing them to burn out faster than their lesser used counterparts. If your sump pump runs frequently, you’ll need to do regular maintenance to ensure that it’ll be ready when you need it. Otherwise, dirt and debris can foil its efforts to turn on when water is present. If your sump pump is running constantly, you’ll need to unplug it and try to figure out why it isn’t working properly. A plumber can fix your broken or malfunctioning sump pump. Additionally, if you look in your sump pump pit and there’s water but your sump pump isn’t turning on, you’ll need to troubleshoot what could be wrong. Again, a plumber can help with this task.

It’s always a good idea to install a water sensor near your sump pump so that if it fails, you have an early warning system so you can act quickly to prevent flooding.

If your sump pump has failed, allowing your basement to flood, call a local plumbing company right away. 

Additional resources:
Sump Pump Won't Turn Off
Flooding Even with a Sump Pump
How to Clean a Sump Pump
Can a Sump Pump be Fixed?
How to Take care of a Sump Pump
Common Sump Pump Problems
Cost of a Sump Pump Replacement
How to Clean Out a Sump Pump