Sure, it doesn’t rain as much in winter as it does is the spring or even summer, but that doesn’t mean the care for your sump pump shouldn’t continue into the winter. Freezing temperatures, large amount of snow, and ice are all a threat to your home, including your foundation, your basement, and your sump pump.
Common Sump Pump Problems
Since a sump pump is normally only used in case of an emergency, you may not be able to detect problems until it is too late. The best way to prevent this is to take preventative maintenance and know the common problems sump pumps face during the winter.
- Over worked: Sump pumps can be overworked when there is a large amount of water that needs dispersed and the discharge line is restricted by ice or snow. It can cause the sump pump to be overworked, which could lead to overheating and motor failure.
- Frozen lines: A sump pump cannot work properly if the intake section is restricted or the discharge line is frozen. Avoid these problems by adding extra insulation such as wrapping the discharge line with heating tape. Keep the interior of your basement at least 55 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent the discharge line from freezing.
- Too small discharge line: Your discharge line may be too small, causing it to freeze more often, blocking potential water from leaving the sump pump. Water freezes not only because it’s cold but because it’s not moving. So increase the size of your pipe and give the water more room, and you should avoid the discharge line from freezing.
Sump Pump Maintenance
The best thing you can do for your sump pump and your home is to preform preventative sump pump maintenance. This is best handled by using professional sump pump installation, like from Dry Basement Foundation Repair.
Dry Basement® uses sump pumps with most basement and crawl space waterproofing systems. Our Dual Pump Pack® system keeps working when other systems fail. We install both primary and secondary sump pumps, as well as with battery-operated sump pump backup pumps. The system ensures that pumps and batteries won’t fail during critical times, such as power failure during a winter snow storm. Our Freeze Shield® protects the discharge line from being blocked due to ice or snow.
In addition, Dry Basement® covers your needs throughout the Midwest, including Kansas City, Wichita, Des Moines and Columbia. We know this time of the year can have a lot of cold, snowy, and unpredictable weather, so please be sure to take care of your sump pump now before spring comes.
Looking for proper maintenance or professional sump pump installation? Contact Dry Basement Foundation Repair for all your basement and foundation needs. We can install a lasting dual sump pump system that can save your basement from flooding and your home from being damaged!