Sump Pump & Basement Drainage
The one appliance you find out about at the worst time
Nobody thinks about the sump pump until there is water on the basement floor and the pump is silent. Storms roll up the Missouri valley fast and heavy — this is worth checking before the forecast, not during it.
- New pump installation and replacement
- Check valves and discharge lines
- Battery backup systems
- Pre-storm season testing
Check it now
Test yours before the next storm
Takes two minutes and tells you almost everything.
Pour water in the pit
Fill until the float rises. The pump should kick on, move the water out and shut off cleanly. If it does not, it will not in a storm either.
Listen to it run
Grinding, rattling or a motor that struggles means it is near the end. A pump that sounds wrong now will fail under load.
Check where it discharges
The line should carry water well away from the foundation, not dump it right back against the house where it returns to the pit.
Water where it should not be? Our guide on signs you need a plumber covers what is urgent.
Why it matters
Where sump systems actually fail
Power goes out during storms
The exact weather that fills your pit is the weather that takes the grid down. A pump with no backup is a pump that is off when it matters.
Check valves fail quietly
Without a working check valve, water in the discharge line runs back into the pit and the pump cycles itself to death.
Discharge lines freeze and clog
A line that is not pitched or protected can ice over in January, and the pump runs against a closed pipe.
Pumps have a service life
Most last somewhere around seven to ten years. If yours came with the house and the house changed hands a decade ago, plan for it.
Backups
Whether you need a battery backup
Honest answer: it depends on what is down there.
If your basement is unfinished storage and the worst case is a wet concrete floor, a good primary pump is probably enough. If it is a finished lower level — and in Florissant's split-levels it very often is, with a family room, a bedroom, or the furnace and water heater down there — a battery backup is cheap insurance against the one storm that takes power out for six hours. We will ask what is down there before recommending one, because selling a backup to someone who does not need it is not a service.
How we work
What to expect when you call
- 01
We test what you have
Pit, float, pump, check valve and discharge — the whole path, not just whether the motor spins.
- 02
Repair or replace
Check valves, floats and discharge issues are often a straightforward fix. A worn pump we will tell you to replace before it fails.
- 03
Install and verify
New pump set, tested under real water load, discharge routed away from the foundation, and backup wired in if you want one.
Free estimate
Get your sump system checked
Tell us the age of the pump and whether it has ever failed. Before storm season is the right time for this.
Related: emergency plumber, leak detection, drain cleaning, sewer lateral repair, signs you need a plumber
Got a plumbing problem that is not getting better on its own?
Call for anything urgent, or send the form and we will get back to you within one business day with a real number.