When a sump pump acts up, it rarely announces which part failed — you just hear it running nonstop, or worse, hear nothing while the pit fills. The good news is that most “my sump pump isn’t working” calls we take in Edmonton trace back to a handful of causes, and a couple of them you can check safely yourself before picking up the phone. Here’s how to narrow it down.
First, the two-minute safe checks
- Power: confirm the pump is plugged in and the breaker or GFCI hasn’t tripped. Pumps share circuits more often than they should, and one tripped outlet quietly disables the whole system.
- The float: lift the float switch by hand (or pour a bucket of water into the pit). If the pump kicks on, the pump itself is fine — the float is sticking or obstructed.
- The pit: look for debris. Gravel, silt, or a dropped item can jam the float or clog the intake screen.
That’s where the DIY list ends. Anything involving wiring, disassembling the pump, or working in a pit full of water is a call-a-plumber situation — water and electricity in a concrete hole is not the place to learn.
Problem: the pump won’t turn on at all
If power is confirmed and lifting the float does nothing, the motor has likely seized or burned out — common in pumps past the 7–10 year mark, or ones that spent a wet spring short-cycling. A silent pump with water rising in the pit is the one scenario you don’t sit on: this is the failure mode that floods basements, and it deserves a same-day repair or replacement.
Problem: water drains back into the pit after every cycle
If you hear the pump empty the pit, then hear water trickling right back in, the check valve on the discharge pipe has failed. Its whole job is to stop pumped water from falling back down the pipe. When it fails, the pump re-pumps the same water over and over — which is why a bad five-dollar valve is one of the most common ways a good pump gets worn out early. It’s a quick, inexpensive repair.
Problem: the discharge line is frozen or clogged
This is the Edmonton special. During chinook melts and in early spring, the outside portion of the discharge line can freeze solid while the ground is still thawing and feeding the pit. The pump runs and runs against a blocked pipe, overheats, and dies — often taking the motor with it. If your pump is running but no water is coming out the discharge, shut it off and deal with the blockage first. Freeze-resistant discharge fittings and a properly sloped line prevent the repeat.
Problem: it runs constantly or cycles every few seconds
A pump that never shuts off may be fighting a stuck float, a failed check valve, or genuinely high groundwater — each has a different fix, from freeing the switch to upsizing the pump. Rapid on-off cycling usually means the float has too little travel for the pit, or the pump is oversized for it. Both wear the motor out fast, so they’re worth fixing before they become the silent-pump problem above.
If it fails while the water is rising
- Kill power to the pump at the breaker before touching anything near the pit.
- Move whatever matters most off the basement floor first — boxes wick water fast.
- Try the safe checks above: breaker, float, debris. A stuck float fixed in two minutes can save the night.
- If the pump is truly dead, call an emergency plumber right away — an emergency sump pump swap is fast, and it’s always cheaper than a flooded-basement restoration.
