Your basement or crawl space sump pump is designed to remove water that builds up around your basement or foundation.  Your sump pump activates when it’s float rises activating a built-in micro-switch.  Over time and thousands of on-off cycles this micro-switch wears out rendering the pump useless. Unexpected basement flooding is often what follows.

We recommend that you replace your sump pump every 5 to 6 years even if it appears to be working perfectly because you never know when it’s micro-switch is going to fail ! Although this seems like an unnecessary expense, it is small when compared with the damage caused by a flooded basement or crawl space.

Another thing you should consider is a back-up system in the event of a power failure. This can be a battery type back-up pump or a longer running hydraulic back-up system that relies on ” city ” water pressure to run a separate pump as long as necessary.

Bob Godwin           Eastern Home Inspections      (800) 333-2783

Visit us at www.inspectnj.com for more information.