If you’re of a certain age or have Mickey-Mouse-mad children, then you know the basic story of Disney’s classic Fantasia. Your Sump Pump
Here’s a quick recap. In the Disney classic, Mickey Mouse plays the character of the sorcerer’s apprentice whose sole task seems to be to carry empty pails of water to an above ground cistern, fill them up, and then walk back downstairs into the dungeon-like cave to pour the water into a below-ground cistern. When the sorcerer is done with his daily conjuring, he recklessly leaves his hat behind, thus inspiring Mickey to get someone to perform the drudgery for him. So he works a spell and brings a lone broom stick to life and quickly trains him to transport the water, thus excusing Mickey from that dreadful task and giving him time to take a quick catnap. When he makes up shortly, thereafter, he sees that his little sleight of hand has backfired, the broom can’t be stopped, and the cave is about to become an underground lake.
And now, dear friends, you understand the role of your sump pump. Or rather, that is the anti-thesis of the enchanted brooms in Fantasia charged only with keeping water OUT of your basement. .
But can it perform that task for all eternity and without fail? Not a chance. In fact, the average effective lifespan of a sump pump is 10 years. After that, its days are numbered and future repairs or outright replacement can’t be far away. The question is, how do you know when that time has come?
Here are a few helpful clues:
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“How old are you now?”
If you don’t know the exact age of your sump pump, it’s in your best interests to find out. First, try to locate the original paperwork. Can’t find it? Then write down the make, model, and serial number and call the manufacturer for that information. If you’re the proactive type and your pump has already passed its 10th anniversary, you might just want to go ahead and replace it now.
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What tune is it humming?
Whenever things are working properly, your sump pump has its own distinctive humming sound as it pump water out of your basement. As it gets older, you should listen in from time to time and, should the tune suddenly change and that sounds a little clunky or clanky, chances are things have taken a turn for the worse.
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Is it getting the water out?
Your sump pump pit should be deep enough so that water will never overflow it – provided, that is, that your pump remains up to the task. But, should you notice over time that water is rising higher and higher in the sump, that’s a clear signal that all is not well and that some kind of corrective action is needed.
A couple of lessons to be learned here: first, the older your sump pump gets, the more you should keep an eye on it from one rainstorm to another so you can check for any abnormal signs that might indicate advancing age, declining performance, or both. Next, your sump pump should be occasionally inspected and serviced to help prevent problems in the first place. And that’s where we come in: Norhio Plumbing. If your sump pump is getting up there in years, isn’t behaving as it did in its glory years, or you simply can’t remember the last time you had it inspected, you have every reason to call us today. We’ll inspect it, test it, and give you our professional diagnosis: one designed to help keep your basement water free while preventing water from damaging your home or valuables.
