I’m a new inspector so you’ll have to bare with me in asking these newbie questions
I inspected a house the other night and the basement had a pit with a sump pump in it and it was bone dry. Not even a drop of water. I didn’t test the sump and put it in my report that I didn’t test the sump pump because the pit was completely dry and I didn’t want to damage the motor.
Is this the best way to handle this type of situation or is it safe to quickly turn it on and off? I really wasn’t sure what damage it may cause.
Please let me know what you normally do with dry sump pumps.
It won’t harm it to run it for a short period of time. Even if there is no water in the sump at least you know the unit runs. If its not making strange noises chances are the bearings and impeller are fine. I have come across sump pits with water in them only to find out the pump runs but does not pump. So its 50-50 chance that it will pump if the motor runs.
I agree with Ray. I test them anyway. I will also tell the client that sump pumps can fail at any given time and that it is advisable to have a back up sump pump ready to go at any time.
I recommend that they be serviced at the time of transfer and annually after that. I test them wet or dry to see if they run, but don’t check the discharge. That way, if they don’t respond at all you can tell them that.
Read a post a while back about someone reaching into the water to test one and getting zapped.
Yah you should never test a sump pump with your hand as well as go into a crawl with standing water. Just asking for trouble. Unless of course you check a main elec panel standing in a puddle of water.
tgardner
(Timothy Gardner, VA HI Lic# 3380000992 NRS)
17
DANG! I love this thread!
Observations:
If there is no battery backup on a basement sump pump, I recommend one.
I too, don’t haul or carry or hose water into a sump to test a sump pump. I once did so, and water sprayed all over the place in a vacant home. ( I now carry a Box-O-Rags in the truck.) I disclaim an empty sump, but do remark if or not the pump responded to the controls.
BTW: Submersible pumps have an oil bath seal that allows them to run dry. Line shaft sump pumps have no seal to fail if run dry. In short, they are designed to run dry for quite some time