What Should You Do When Your Sump Pump Fails?

Anyone who’s owned a home with a basement long enough knows that floods are unavoidable and that sump pumps are a first-class ticket out of disaster. These valuable devices suck in groundwater and pump it out of your property, salvaging your space from extensive water damage, but what are you supposed to do when your machine fails?

Here, The Restoration Group, New Jersey’s leading water damage restoration team, examines the causes of sump pump failure, what to do when you can’t use the machine, and what sump pump issues you can fix.

Fix Your Sump Pump

The most common reason sump pumps fail is that they lose power; fortunately, that issue is easy to fix. First, examine your sump pump’s power supply when it goes out; you might have accidentally bumped into it and disconnected it. If your sump pump and power supply are still linked, you can use a battery backup to revive it.

Unfortunately, not all sump pump issues are as easy to remedy as a failing power supply. For example, the float switch and other crucial components can break over time, and you can’t bring your sump pump back online without a replacement handy. Preventative sump pump maintenance can ward off these issues, but if you’re dealing with a flooded basement now and don’t have time, you can drain the space without your sump pump. 

Mop and Bucket Method

Now that you know more about sump pump failure, what to do if the device breaks, and what issues you can’t fix, you should know a few drainage alternatives.

Though a bit old-fashioned, mops and buckets are great tools for cleaning floods in a pinch. The obvious downside is that mopping up flood water is more labor intensive and takes longer, which gives the water time to soak into your building materials. However, if you’re thorough and act fast, you can drain standing water from your basement by scooping it up with a bucket or mopping it away.

Natural Ventilation

Opening your basement doors and windows and allowing outside temperatures and wind into your space can ventilate some floods away, but this method only works for small leaks. While you can place fans around the area for extra power, you should save ventilation for minor floods or complementing other water removal methods. 

Contact The Restoration Group today at (732) 334-3620 to learn more about sump pump failure, what to do after a flood, and schedule an appointment for water damage cleanup in Highland Park, NJ.