Should I Replace My Sump Pump?

If your property’s sump pump is dated, draining water inefficiently, leaking, or making strange sounds, you should call a professional to assess its condition. Upgrading or replacing a damaged sump pump is not always the best option, however. 

When to Repair 

If you have bought your sump pump within the last five years, there should be no need to replace it. The main exception would be if there is something inherently faulty about the sump pump, in which case you should contact the manufacturer, or your supplier, to get a replacement (assuming your warranty is still good). In most cases, however, pumps under five years old are very easy to repair when something goes wrong as all of the parts should still be in manufacture. 

Likewise, you should repair a sump pump that has minor damage to not internal parts. For example, damage to your sump pump’s floating switch or intake filter will prevent it from functioning properly, but these issues are fairly easy (and cheap) to repair. Any repair professional should be able to fix this issue within a few hours, and many will have the parts to hand. 

When to Replace 

Choosing to replace your property’s sump pump can be very daunting, but there are some times at which it is simply unavoidable. The most obvious example of this is when a replacement will be necessary is when a sump pump more than 10 years old experiences a total breakdown. In these cases, there is a chance that repairs could be completed, but the fix is likely to be short-lived and the parts may be hard to find. At this point, it may be more cost-effective to replace the pump as a whole. 

Finally, there will come a point when there are simply no replacement parts for a water heater model being made anymore. At that point, we recommend that you upgrade your sump pump pre-emptively, even if it is still working. Buying and replacing a water heater takes time. You do not want to be left waiting for your replacement when your old pump breaks down in the wettest months of the year. That could be disastrous for your home.