4 Signs You Need to Replace Your Sewer Pump

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Sewer pumps are one of the underappreciated workhorses of the modern plumbing system. There are times that your sewer pump needs to be repaired, occasions when maintenance will resolve the issue, and times you should just replace it. Here are 4 signs you need to replace your sewer or ejection pump.

It Isn’t Doing Its Job

A sewer pump that just can’t keep up needs to be replaced. A sewer pump that is straining and making strange noises as it tries to work should be replaced now instead of repaired since a worn-out pump will need other repairs done later and is prone to fail at the most inconvenient time. If the unit is failing to do its job during storms, you may want it to be replaced and connected to a marine battery so that it runs even if the power goes out.

It Runs All the Time

A sewer pump that is continually working all of the time probably needs to be replaced. One potential cause is that it is wearing down. Now it runs continuously to move the water instead of running intermittently. Another reason it may run all the time is that the switches and sensors are malfunctioning; when this happens, replacing the switches and sensors is only a stop-gap measure since the unit has mostly worn itself half out, guaranteeing it won’t work shortly. The better choice is to replace it.

Degradation and Discoloration

Injector pumps and sewer pumps need to be replaced when they are rusted or develop rust-colored discoloration from “iron bacteria.” Rusted pumps are probably about to suffer a significant failure because the unit is flooded often enough to form the rust, assuming it isn’t already suffering electrical or mechanical problems. The reddish iron bacteria mean that the pump is leaking or submerged often enough to facilitate the growth of the bacteria, and you want to get rid of the pump before you end up with a basement that smells like a sewer because even clean rainwater and debris that flood the basement will be infected by bacteria already on the pump. You can learn more about these issues at theplumbinginfo.com.

It Is Seven Years Old or Older

When it comes to a sewer pump or sump pump, you should replace it when it is more than seven years old. If the cost of repair is more than half of the price of the unit, regardless of its age, you should go ahead and replace it. If you just bought an older home that came with a pump, call an expert to inspect it; you don’t want to rely on a pump of unknown age to protect your home when the basement floods.

If a sewer pump cannot handle the load it is under, or strains to move the volume of liquid is used to handle, it should be replaced. Likewise, a unit that is continually running and starting to wear down should be replaced. And whatever the case may be, a sewer pump should be replaced every 7 years at the very least.