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R&R Insurance Blog

Before the Rain, Maintain the Sump Pump

Posted by the knowledge brokers

flooded basementIt only takes a few inches of water in a basement to cause tens of thousands of dollars in damage. The average water damage claim, including sump pump overflow, results in approximately $6,000 worth of damage. Unfortunately, many homeowners often overlook this protection on their homeowners policy. This can easily be added with a separate endorsement called "back up of sewer and drain" with many of the carriers we represent here at R&R Insurance.

A standard homeowners policy will not have coverage for a sump pump, or any existing drainage system, and the back ups are also not covered by flood insurance so it's a very valuable endorsement to add. The average lifespan of a sump pump is about 10 years, and eventually they do wear out, but there are a few regular maintenance checks you can do as a homeowner:

NOTE: Make sure the power cord is unplugged before any maintenance.

  1. Clear the debris from the basin - Make sure any unwanted items are not stored in the basin cause the float mechanism to fail. Test the float itself and make sure it's not burned out. Fill up the pit with water, and make sure it both starts and stops as it's supposed to.
  2. Inspect the "check" valve - The check valve's arrow should not be pointing toward the sump pump, and it should be set up so that when the sump pump shuts off no water will go back into the pump.
  3. Clean the weep hole and/or the impeller - Some pumps have a small hole between the pump and check valve, you can clean it with a tiny object like a toothpick, but be careful not to break anything into the hole. The impeller is a small filter that can become clogged, if you hear a whining noise, it could be the impeller - and it could use a good cleaning to work properly.
  4. Smells - Typical odors are caused from the sump pump's trap. You can eliminate it by using a bleach water mixture to clean the basin or you can fill the basin until the sump pump engages and cycles the water to help eliminate odors.
  5. Back-up power - A back up power supply or a generator is a great idea to avoid overflow when you have an outage! Most power outages are caused by thunderstorms that bring a substantial amount of rain.

Wisconsin residents, contact an R&R knowledgebroker about adding the proper protection for your home.

Topics: Personal Insurance