Anybody else in a ground floor apartment having issues with their sump pump?

Submitted by The_Nomadic_Nerd t3_zvvegb in jerseycity

I live in the ground floor of a brownstone by Hamilton Park. We have a sump pump in the unit, which I believe is for foundation / groundwater, which pumps water out of the building, below the sidewalk outside, and onto the street. When I checked it out this morning I heard the pump going, and when I touched the water is was HOT. I could only hold my hand under the water for a couple of seconds and it was steaming. The pipes that the water was going through in that room were also very warm. However, the water level wasn't lowering and no new water was coming in.

I used a bucket and emptied out the water so as to lower the water level and let the pump cool down. My questions are:

  1. What the hell was happening?
  2. If it was because of a freeze or blockage in the pipes, how do I check it out?
  3. What should I do about it? I'm a new home owner and this worries me because luckily theres no precipitation now, but if it was snowing / raining I could see water coming in without any being pumped out.
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rtadoyle t1_j1rko3d wrote

Sounds like the pump is blocked (assuming when the water was warm you heard something like the pump on. It staying on, and water not decreasing would indicate a block.

First thing id check, with the pump unplugged, is to see if the intake is blocked. We put a pump in our basement during a renovation, and turns out a lot of debris from the renovation wound up in the reservoir, blocking it.

I'd use your hand first, but then also check narrower parts with a flat head.

After that, plug it in, pour a bucket of water or two in, and see if the pump turns on, and if it does, if water gets evacuated.

If water doesn't leave, then you may have a blockage in your pipe. Depending on where it exits the building you may be able to check this out yourself.

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The_Nomadic_Nerd OP t1_j1rsk1d wrote

Thanks. I think it may be a blockage in the pipe. Wondering if anybody has had a problem with pumps leading outside freezing after the rain and immediate temp drop we just experienced.

I disconnected the pipe and tried running the sump pump and it's pumping water, so I think the problem might be in the pipe or if there's an air lock.

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rtadoyle t1_j1rycst wrote

Cool. So yeah, maybe some blockage. It sounds like you don't have any visibility to where the water exits though (under the sidewalk?), So may be a bit harder to fix. Can you run a snake/auger up the pipe and see if anything is lodged?

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wasting_-my-_time t1_j1slu1p wrote

Freezing pipes is super common when they are shallow. My brother (not in JC) is on a slab just above grade. The first few years after he moved in he had a freezing problem. So yes, in this weather you can definitely have freezing issues.

You could snake the pipe to see, or try to trace it through your building and see if there are any exposed sections.

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pixel_of_moral_decay t1_j1rnjgz wrote

Yea, floods due to malfunctioning sump pumps happen when you have long cold stretches. Same if you've got a condensate line for a dehumidifier in the basement (assuming it's damp enough to run in the winter).

If you don't see water lowering, and no water exiting, it's likely frozen. The motor cools itself by being submerged in water. But it's designed to run briefly. If it's running for hours, that water is going to heat up.

One option is to get a hose and connect it to the sump pump, then pump it somewhere else for the moment to keep things under control. Just make sure it's somewhere downhill so you're not just creating a loop. It's a shitty option, but a common one in weather like this. That hose might freeze too if it's kept full of water, but you could take it inside for a few hours so it can thaw, or just lift and let it drain before it freezes. This is actually a pretty common workaround. Some people do this every snowstorm. Depending on the home and land around it, alternatives are expensive. Some people also just have some extra pipe in the garage and unscrew the clamp on the exterior and route it through that makeshift pipe after a snowstorm. Then when the snow melts put it back to the original plumbing.j

Given things are pretty frozen, you could also get a bucket and just empty it a dozen times or so if a sink is nearby. Odds are the ground is relatively frozen, so after a dozen or so times there should slow down. In a pinch that's an option but IMHO too much work.

Hopefully later this week things will warm up during the day at least and give things a chance to thaw.

I'd look around and see if there's evidence the previous homeowner had an alternate way of getting rid of water. Some pipes stashed away in a corner or under a deck, some hose. It's not uncommon in extreme situations.

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goldorakgo t1_j1rj3p2 wrote

You should probably unplug it. The motor may be about to burn out. The heat is probably from the motor overheating

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Jaynyc72 t1_j1rzh3p wrote

The pump could either be blocked or malfunctioning

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hghoboken t1_j1w7ntn wrote

I own a handyman business in the area, I can take a look if you’d like, 917-833-3270

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