What should be done when the pump stops in a storm?
Keep away from the pit and any standing water near the pump. Turn the pump's power off only if the outlet is dry and reachable, and call. If the water is rising fast, move valuables up and out of the lower room.
A pump in a wet pit is an electrical hazard. A battery backup, where one is fitted, can keep the pump working for a time, but only if its battery is charged and tested.
Note the time the pump stopped and the level of water when you found it. That note is the start of the record.
How does a pump failure show up on a claim?
Many standard policies exclude sump failure and sewer backup unless an endorsement was added, and the wording decides which part of the policy applies.
Photographs of the pump, the float, the line and the valve are the best evidence of the failure. Keep the failed part if it is replaced.
Ask the insurer in writing whether a sump or backup endorsement applies. The answer is the basis for the claim.
Can the valve be checked by the owner?
Only in the simplest way: by opening the access cover and checking that the flap moves freely. A plumber should test and clean the valve and confirm it works as intended.
A valve full of debris can stick open or closed, and the cover can hide a problem that is easy to fix. Clean the valve only with the power off.
A plumber can test the valve with the line in use, and that test is worth more than any assumption about how it should work.
What does the repair involve?
A licensed plumber repairs or replaces the pump, the discharge line or the valve. The restoration crew dries the lower floor and records what it found.
Ask the plumber to show the new arrangement, including where the discharge goes and how the power is supplied. A pump on a protected circuit is far less likely to fail in a storm.
The repair should be tested before the lower floor is closed up, and the restoration record shows where the water reached.
Why a sump stops in a storm
A sump often stops because the float is jammed, the power is cut or the discharge is blocked.
A sump pump stops for a few common reasons. The float switch can jam against the pit wall, the power can be cut by the storm, or the discharge line can freeze or block. The crew checks each one and records which was the cause.
A battery backup, where one is fitted, can be checked by the homeowner or a plumber. The crew does not repair the pump, but it records the state of the equipment in the scope.
- Check whether the float switch is jammed
- Check whether the power to the pump was cut
- Check the discharge line for a block or ice
- Record the cause as found in the scope
- Note whether a backup pump was fitted
Clearing and drying the lowest room
The lowest room is cleared, extracted and dried, and the pit is checked for silt and debris.
Water from a sump failure often reaches the lowest room first, and it can carry silt from the pit. The crew extracts the water, removes the wet carpet and pad, and cleans the silt from the floor. The pit is checked for debris that can stop the pump again.
The drying follows the same readings as any other lower-level loss, and the target is written into the scope. The sump is handed to a plumber for repair, with the cause written down.
- Extract the water from the lowest room
- Remove wet carpet and pad
- Clean the silt from the floor and the wall base
- Check the pit for debris that can stop the pump
- Hand the sump to a plumber with the cause written
