Why Sump Pumps Fail in Brooklyn Cellars
The float switch causes most failures. It hangs up on the pit wall or the power cord, and the pump never gets the signal. Motors burn out after seven to ten years, sooner when silt clogs the intake screen. A dead check valve lets the discharge pipe drain back into the pit, so the pump runs the same water out over and over until it overheats.
Power is the other weak point. Storms that flood cellars also knock out electricity, and a pump with no battery backup sits there dead while the water rises.
Sump Pump Repair or Replacement
Floats and check valves get swapped in under an hour. A seized or humming motor means a new pump - we install cast iron submersibles, one-third or one-half horsepower depending on how fast the pit fills. A battery backup and a high-water alarm go in at the same visit if the owner wants them. We clean the pit, set the pump on a solid base off the silt, and test it by filling the pit with a hose.
Groundwater, Storm Water, and Sewer Backup Plumbing
Low-lying parts of the borough sit close to the water table, and cellars there take on groundwater after long rain. A sump pump handles that. Sewer water coming up through a floor drain is a different problem, and the fix is a backwater valve, which the city's Rainfall Ready homeowner guide explains. Our plumbers check which one a cellar has before selling anybody a pump.
Sump Pump Repair Costs in Brooklyn
A float or check valve is a small repair. A new pump with a backup system costs more, and the quote covers the pump, the piping, and the test. Floor drains that back up in every storm need drain cleaning or a camera look at the house sewer, which can lead to sewer line repair. Water in the cellar on a dry week is usually a pipe, and that calls for leak detection. A boiler or heater that sat in flood water needs a check before relighting - see boiler repair and water heater repair.