Sump Pump Repair

SCOTT: Yes, I have a sump pump. When it shuts off it makes a banging sound four to eight times and I’ve insulated the pipes and isolated them from sound. The sound is coming from the check valve. Apparently the check valve closes and it must open and close about four to eight times.

TOM: Have you tried different sump pumps? Does it do the same thing?

SCOTT: Yes. I do have a long run. I’m about eight feet up in height and then about 40 feet across the basement. And my rough thought is that once that water gets moving it doesn’t want to stop. (chuckles)

TOM: Have you – do you get more water, Scott, after a heavy rain?

SCOTT: Oh, definitely. And I used to run two pumps on this water line but last summer we were flooded out so I separated the pumps.

TOM: OK.

SCOTT: So I’m running two ¾ horse pumps in the well now.

TOM: OK, so listen, Scott. Good news. If your basement is getting more wet; if the pumps are running more frequently after a heavy rain, then there is something that you can do to reduce the amount of water that’s getting down there and partially make this problem go away. I would concentrate on reducing and improving the grading and the drainage at the perimeter and that’s going to reduce the amount of time that the sump pump is going to need to work; it’s going to save you all that electrical cost of running it. And Scott, if you go to our website at MoneyPit.com, search “wet basement”; you’re going to find a ton of information on this problem and how to fix the drainage and I think you’ll get this under control in a fairly short period of time.

SCOTT: I’ll look at that.

TOM: Scott, thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.