Sump Pump Not Working
A pit that fills while the pump sits silent, or a pump that runs and never lowers the water. Here is what fails on Tacoma sump pumps, what you can safely check, and how we fix it.
Two Ways a Sump Pump Stops Working
A sump pump stops working in one of two ways. If the pit is full and the pump is silent, the problem is usually power or the float switch. If the pump runs but the water never drops, the fault is on the discharge side: the check valve, the hose or pipe out of the pit, an air lock, or a clogged impeller. A pump that hums or trips the breaker is the third case, a jammed impeller or a motor taking on water, and it should be unplugged rather than reset again.
We learned the second kind the hard way on Tacoma’s Eastside. In December, Terrence set a new sump in a crawl space there, a pit lined with filter fabric and backfilled with pea gravel, and it cycled clean before he left. Less than three weeks later the call came back, pump not working. The flexible discharge hose had let the pump turn in the basin until the float was pinned. Terrence freed it, and the next day Devin replaced the hose with rigid pipe and a check valve so the pump cannot turn, then watched it cycle five times.
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Why a Sump Pump Stops Working
The causes we find most often under Tacoma homes, roughly in the order we check them.
Stuck or Pinned Float
The float is the switch. A cord, a hose or the basin wall leaning on it keeps it from rising, so the pump never gets the signal. On the Eastside job it was the discharge hose.
No Power at the Pump
A tripped GFCI in a damp crawl space is our most common no-power call, then an unplugged cord, a shared circuit, and the outages that arrive with the storms that fill the pit.
Failed or Missing Check Valve
Without a working check valve, every gallon the pump lifts falls back into the pit when it stops, so the pump runs again and again and the level never drops. It looks like a weak pump.
Blocked or Frozen Discharge Line
Crushed corrugated hose, a discharge that ends in a buried pipe packed with silt, or a line frozen at the wall during a Fraser outflow snap. The pump runs against a closed door.
Air Lock or Clogged Impeller
Air trapped in the housing leaves the impeller spinning in nothing; a small relief hole in the discharge cures most of them. Gravel from an unlined pit jams the impeller and stalls the motor.
Motor or Switch at End of Life
Pumps in a high water table cycle thousands of times a year. A worn motor runs hot and slow, a float switch wears its contacts, and a failed seal lets water in. A repair then buys weeks.
We also check where the water goes. Tacoma runs separate storm and sanitary sewer systems, and the City of Tacoma asks that basement sumps and foundation drains go to the storm drainage system, never the sanitary sewer: pumped groundwater in the sanitary side is inflow, and in heavy rain it can back the sewer up into homes. A discharge tied into a floor drain or cleanout gets rerouted the same visit.
What You Can Safely Check
Ten minutes with a flashlight, nothing opened up.
Confirm the Pump Has Power
Look for a light or a hum at the outlet, press the reset on the GFCI and check the breaker. If the pump shares a circuit with a freezer or dehumidifier, check those too.
Lift the Float by Hand
With the pit full, lift the float or float rod straight up. If the pump starts, the switch works and something was holding the float down. If nothing happens, stop there.
Follow the Discharge Outside
Find where the line leaves the house and watch for water while the pump runs. A dry outlet with a running pump means a check valve, air lock or blockage in between.
Look and Smell the Water
Clear water with no smell is groundwater or stormwater, which is what the City of Tacoma says to expect from a sump or a wet crawl space. A sewage smell points at the drain or side sewer, not the pump.
If It Only Runs After a Reset
The fault is still there. Our guide to sump pumps for Tacoma homes covers what a system needs to run through a wet winter.
How We Fix a Sump Pump That Is Not Working
The fix follows the cause. Nothing gets replaced until we know why it stopped.
Float, Switch and Check Valve Repairs
A pinned float gets a rigid discharge so the pump cannot turn, a worn switch is replaced, and a stuck or missing check valve gets a new one set where it can be serviced.
Learn more →Pump Replacement and Battery Backup
When the motor is done we size the new pump to the pit and the water it actually sees, hard-pipe the discharge, and add a battery backup where losing the crawl space in an outage would matter.
Learn more →Urgent Calls During Business Hours
A pit rising toward the joists gets same-day service during business hours when the schedule allows. Unplug a pump that is tripping the breaker, and call.
Learn more →Water coming up a floor drain or the lowest fixture is a drain or sewer problem, not a sump problem: see drain cleaning, or browse all common problems.
Why Tacoma Homeowners Call Royal Flush
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Washington license #ROYALFP787R1, bonded and fully insured.
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Same-day service when the schedule allows during business hours.
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Sump Pump Failure Questions
Straight answers before you pick up the phone.
Power first, then the float. Check the plug, press the reset on the GFCI and look at the breaker. Then lift the float with the pit full. If the pump starts, something was holding the float down, as on the Eastside job. If nothing happens, the motor or switch has failed.
Repair when the pump runs and the fault is around it: a pinned float, a bad check valve, a blocked or flexible discharge. Replace when the motor is weak, the seal leaks, or the pump is old enough that another storm season is a gamble. We tell you which before we touch anything, price upfront.
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