Hi If your sump pump isn't moving water when it should, here are some things to check to help figure out what's wrong.
Steps: 1. Take a couple of personal safety precautions: If there's water standing in the basement, wear rubber boots to insulate you from accidental electric shock. Make sure that higher water has not come in contact with low-mounted electrical outlets before you reset any circuits. 2. Check the simplest possible problem first: Is the pump plugged in? If not, plug it in, first making sure that the cord and your hands are dry. 3. Find the fuse or breaker box and check for burned fuses or tripped circuits. Again, make sure that your hands are completely dry before working with these electrical malfunctions. 4. Check the float switch if your pump is activated by one. A float switch is a small, black plastic egg shape connected to the pump by a short electrical cord. If it isn't free to move or has become lodged under some foreign matter, the pump won't switch on. 5. Feel the pump itself - if you can feel the motor running but no water is moving, this could mean there's a clog in the pump screen or the drainpipe. Unplug the pump to check both of these. 6. Feel the bottom of the pump where the intake screen is located to see if lint, plastic or anything else is blocking the water inlet. This can slow the pumping action to a trickle or stop it completely. 7. Clear any debris from the screen. Remove the debris completely from the pit and put it in the trash to keep it from circulating about and re-lodging against the screen. 8. Check for a clogged drain line by disconnecting the line at the pump and then running the pump to see if water is being moved through the pump at a good rate. (Disconnect the line by undoing either a screw-together union or a rubber-and-hose clamp joint near the pump.) 9. Decide whether you've found the problem; if not, running a plumber's helper (a "snake") through the pipe to the main drain line is an option. Decide whether you're skilled enough to do this - or whether at this point you want to contact a plumber. Tips: In a wet basement, you can reset tripped breakers using a wooden stick to protect yourself from shock. Install a generator to keep your sump pump working during power failures. Steps: 1. Determine the horsepower of your sump pump (probably 1/2 or 1/3). 2. Calculate the wattage requirement to start the pump. A 1/2 hp pump requires 2,150 watts to start and a 1/3 hp pump requires 1,300 watts. The wattage requirement to operate the pump after start-up is approximately 60 percent of the total. 3. Consider whether you want your generator to run other appliances during a power failure. Calculate the wattage requirements to run these appliances as well. A typical refrigerator requires about 2,200 watts to start and about 700 to run thereafter. Lights require the wattage of the bulb. 4. Purchase a generator of sufficient wattage for your needs. 5. Have a qualified electrician install a transfer switch if you intend to use the generator for backup power to the house. This is not necessary if you intend to simply plug the pump and any other appliances into the generator manually as needed. 6. Keep sufficient fuel on hand to operate the generator. 7. Follow all operating and safety instructions that come with the generator. Tips: You do not need a generator sufficient to start everything simultaneously. You can manually hook up the refrigerator and lights after the pump has started. Warnings: Generators have a maximum and a rated output. The maximum output should never be sustained for more than 30 minutes, so you can figure on the maximum for starting appliances, but not for sustained operation. To listen to the show archives go to link http://acbradio.org/handyman.html or ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday The Pod Cast address for the Cooking In The Dark Show is. http://www.gcast.com/u/cookingindark/main.xml Visit The New Blind Handy Man Files Page To Review Contributions From Various List Members At The Following Address: http://www.jaws-users.com/handyman/ Visit the new archives page at the following address http://www.mail-archive.com/blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com/ For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man list just send a blank message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/blindhandyman/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
