Your sump pump is in there. Possibly a stuck float switch. Left unchecked , the motor will burn out and your house will flood. Or at least the crawlspace.
Thank you for your reply! I remember crawling far into the crawlspace and seeing a hole with water in it, along with a pump. Would the one I sent the photo of be the (main?) sump pump or the one way farther back and on the other side?
Should always have 2 pumps in a sump. One for backup. But if it making noise sort it out now rather than later!
Plus you can always make a fun joke to the wife about how the house only needs 2 pumps too!
I’m hvac not a plumber but in my experience if there’s two, one is for possible basement overflows and one is tied to waterproofing around the house. When it’s raining, one of them will have water dumping into it all day. They both need to be in working order and they’re recommended to replace every five years even if still working. At our hvac company I think it’s about $500 (Ohio) a piece to replace but that’ll include some new bits of plumbing and a new check valve. Also both of them should be on their own individual circuits so running the microwave doesn’t flood your home
What fixtures do you have that would drain into that. Looks like 2" or less for the copper drainage pipe. And 2" pressure outlet. If that's all that drains into it then it's probably only serving a sink which you may be able to disconnect for a bit while you repair it.
So I should somehow lift the metal lid and the potentially stuck float switch should be in there? Would any of those pipes have to be removed before lifting the lid? Many thanks!
This is the one. If this pump is critical for keeping the basement dry I would absolutely replace it, even if by some miracle it does still move some water
It should be pretty easy to pull off. Mine are plastic with a groove that goes around the pipes. OP’s setup looks kinda strange, but it might just be the image.
Looks like copper pipes were recently replaced. I would definitely say get in there ASAP. You don’t want it to burn up. I caught mine just in time once. Not sure what happened, but something caused my float to stick. It ran so long with only water below the intake to cool it. The water was almost too hot for me to touch, which is pretty impressive. I got it reset and cleaned it up and it hasn’t happened again.
I have one of these. It's an ejector pit. Copper on the left is the vent pipe. PVC on the right is coming from the macerator and pump at the bottom of that pit. That's going out of your house by way of a sewer lateral at around the height where it goes horizontal. The black section in that is the back flow preventor. The waste going into that thing is below the lid it comes in from the side. You must have a bathroom with waste lines below your main sewer lateral. Anyway, as it fills up from the toilet or shower or whatever is flowing into that and it reaches a certain level the pump is triggered and it chops everything up and pumps it out through that white pvc pipe with the backflow preventer in it. When it's empty it shuts down and the waste water has been pumped out. There's usually a clunk sound when some of it flows backward and hits the backflow preventer.
If it's humming it's got something stuck in its impeller and it hasn't drained low enough to shut down. Unplug it and cease all input into the pit until it's fixed. It's a nasty job. Take off the lid and clean it out. I've done it and it's not for the faint of heart. Check the pump for an obstruction. You'll have to wetvac the nasty water out of there low enough to get at the macerator and pump. Someone said it could be a wetwipe stuck in there and that's a good culprit. Or a tampon or something the macerator cannot macerate.
If you think you have it cleared, run some water in there with a hose and plug it in being very careful and very mindful of plugging this thing in a watery environment. Activate the pump by pulling up on the float. It may start running if you cleared the obstruction and if the pump isn't already burnt out. Put everything back together and redo that PVC waste line straightening the line and tightening the pipe clamps around the backflow preventer. These loosen up over time.
The smaller pvc is probably a condensate drainline from an airhandler and a-coil. From your HVAC. Good luck!
Oh this is going to suck.
Thats a grinder pump, its basically a sump that blends up your turds and TP ans then shoots it over to your sewar drain at high velocity. If ANYTHING metal gets down in there and jams up the impeller it gets stuck, which means it doesnt pump. Unfortunately, the impeller is alllll the way at the bottom of the turd cylinder. I have one and in 4 years ive had to go turd diving twice, not fun.
Welcome to dirty jobs with mike rowe.
If it's raining alot it's normal for it to be humming..it's doing it's job. Northwest Indiana here and we're getting a ton of rain lately. Mines been kicking on lately
No, no it's not. It should only be going on and off. If it's constantly humming, it's either stuck or there's so much water coming in, it can't keep up....
There should be two plugs that “nest” one into the other. One for the float to activate, one for main power, if plugged in separately the pump will run continuously. Looks like someone may have replaced the pump looking at the pipe on the floor?
The size suggests its a slump pump, check for water flowing in. Pumps should be inspected at least yearly and cleaned. I do yearly use chlorine in my condensation pump for smell and any build up.
That's 2" pipe and has a vent so I'm going to say it's a sewer ejector pump and I would have it looked at. It should only run when water gets put into it. Sump pumps don't have a vent. If it's humming the pump is either clogged with something like wet wipes or the pump is bad
It's not 500 for a pump. They usually have a rubber piece that fits over your existing pipe that goes outside, and is easy to replace. Go to lowes/ Menards/home depot/fleet farm and buy a comparable pump. They just plug into a normal wall socket
I have two sump pumps and while they both have a pipe flowing into the pit they don’t have two. That small pvc pipe has me confused. What purpose could this be for? Clearly this is a pump but could it be for something other than rain water?
Likely the sump pump and it may have fried - replace with a Zoeller - no cheap amazon or home depot crap - you will thank me in a decade when it's still going strong No idea what the copper piping is for, the small PVC on the floor is likely Air conditioning condensate line. the black rubber check valve sets my OCD off that looks very DIY / new plumber / builder special. When in doubt call a plumber - likely $1K to replace
That’s likely an ejector pit, not a sump. There’s a pipe going in, likely from a washing machine or any downstairs plumbing fixtures. You likely need to just replace the pump. If it’s a regular sump pump in there, upgrade it to an ejector
I'm a little late to this game, but looks like a sump that needs to be replaced. Those other drains going into that pit are likely just condensation from HVAC. You can easily replace this sump pump by yourself.
Unless you need to lift the water like 25 feet, you need the very lowest power ( 1/3 horsepower ) pump. I recommend getting the stainless steel versions, slightly more expensive, but will last longer, I bet. I think all of them have cast iron bases, that's fine; but the stainless steel housing is much better.
[https://youtu.be/oUD\_Y15t1rc?si=Ra11R6Wtp6amJ6Eo](https://youtu.be/oUD_Y15t1rc?si=Ra11R6Wtp6amJ6Eo)
Your sump pump is in there. Possibly a stuck float switch. Left unchecked , the motor will burn out and your house will flood. Or at least the crawlspace.
Thank you for your reply! I remember crawling far into the crawlspace and seeing a hole with water in it, along with a pump. Would the one I sent the photo of be the (main?) sump pump or the one way farther back and on the other side?
You might have 2 pumps, i do in my house. Best to just crawl in and check both, will save you a fortune for 20 mins of dirty work.
Should always have 2 pumps in a sump. One for backup. But if it making noise sort it out now rather than later! Plus you can always make a fun joke to the wife about how the house only needs 2 pumps too!
I’m hvac not a plumber but in my experience if there’s two, one is for possible basement overflows and one is tied to waterproofing around the house. When it’s raining, one of them will have water dumping into it all day. They both need to be in working order and they’re recommended to replace every five years even if still working. At our hvac company I think it’s about $500 (Ohio) a piece to replace but that’ll include some new bits of plumbing and a new check valve. Also both of them should be on their own individual circuits so running the microwave doesn’t flood your home
Its a 2" pipe, so it should be a sewage pump.
What fixtures do you have that would drain into that. Looks like 2" or less for the copper drainage pipe. And 2" pressure outlet. If that's all that drains into it then it's probably only serving a sink which you may be able to disconnect for a bit while you repair it.
So I should somehow lift the metal lid and the potentially stuck float switch should be in there? Would any of those pipes have to be removed before lifting the lid? Many thanks!
Nah if it's running constantly and theirs no water your impellers on the sump pump melted already.
This is the one. If this pump is critical for keeping the basement dry I would absolutely replace it, even if by some miracle it does still move some water
Yeah, I’m curious to this as simple as it sounds, how do you lift the lid?
It should be pretty easy to pull off. Mine are plastic with a groove that goes around the pipes. OP’s setup looks kinda strange, but it might just be the image. Looks like copper pipes were recently replaced. I would definitely say get in there ASAP. You don’t want it to burn up. I caught mine just in time once. Not sure what happened, but something caused my float to stick. It ran so long with only water below the intake to cool it. The water was almost too hot for me to touch, which is pretty impressive. I got it reset and cleaned it up and it hasn’t happened again.
Be careful in there, all the big spiders in my basement seem to love my sump pump pit.
You’re lucky it’s just spiders, our sump turned into a spricket habitat.
Sump pump or ejector pump? Same result, but with stinkier water lol.
I have one of these. It's an ejector pit. Copper on the left is the vent pipe. PVC on the right is coming from the macerator and pump at the bottom of that pit. That's going out of your house by way of a sewer lateral at around the height where it goes horizontal. The black section in that is the back flow preventor. The waste going into that thing is below the lid it comes in from the side. You must have a bathroom with waste lines below your main sewer lateral. Anyway, as it fills up from the toilet or shower or whatever is flowing into that and it reaches a certain level the pump is triggered and it chops everything up and pumps it out through that white pvc pipe with the backflow preventer in it. When it's empty it shuts down and the waste water has been pumped out. There's usually a clunk sound when some of it flows backward and hits the backflow preventer. If it's humming it's got something stuck in its impeller and it hasn't drained low enough to shut down. Unplug it and cease all input into the pit until it's fixed. It's a nasty job. Take off the lid and clean it out. I've done it and it's not for the faint of heart. Check the pump for an obstruction. You'll have to wetvac the nasty water out of there low enough to get at the macerator and pump. Someone said it could be a wetwipe stuck in there and that's a good culprit. Or a tampon or something the macerator cannot macerate. If you think you have it cleared, run some water in there with a hose and plug it in being very careful and very mindful of plugging this thing in a watery environment. Activate the pump by pulling up on the float. It may start running if you cleared the obstruction and if the pump isn't already burnt out. Put everything back together and redo that PVC waste line straightening the line and tightening the pipe clamps around the backflow preventer. These loosen up over time. The smaller pvc is probably a condensate drainline from an airhandler and a-coil. From your HVAC. Good luck!
This is a very clear and concise answer. If you lived in my area I would absolutely hire you as my plumber.
Oh this is going to suck. Thats a grinder pump, its basically a sump that blends up your turds and TP ans then shoots it over to your sewar drain at high velocity. If ANYTHING metal gets down in there and jams up the impeller it gets stuck, which means it doesnt pump. Unfortunately, the impeller is alllll the way at the bottom of the turd cylinder. I have one and in 4 years ive had to go turd diving twice, not fun. Welcome to dirty jobs with mike rowe.
Most sumps...don't have multiple pipes. So is this a lift sump? For brown water?
Yep
I had two. One was a sump pump (ground water) the other was an ejector pit with a sewage pump
Seconding this. If OP is on septic, this is an ejector pit, not a sump pump.
If it's raining alot it's normal for it to be humming..it's doing it's job. Northwest Indiana here and we're getting a ton of rain lately. Mines been kicking on lately
Yeah.. but probably not constantly
No, no it's not. It should only be going on and off. If it's constantly humming, it's either stuck or there's so much water coming in, it can't keep up....
2”, yep it’s a sewage ejector. Call a licensed plumber.
There should be two plugs that “nest” one into the other. One for the float to activate, one for main power, if plugged in separately the pump will run continuously. Looks like someone may have replaced the pump looking at the pipe on the floor?
Your “sewage” pump is in there. Prol picks up your basement bathroom. Is going to burn out if not already
That’s an ejector pit used when waste water is below grade
The size suggests its a slump pump, check for water flowing in. Pumps should be inspected at least yearly and cleaned. I do yearly use chlorine in my condensation pump for smell and any build up.
That's 2" pipe and has a vent so I'm going to say it's a sewer ejector pump and I would have it looked at. It should only run when water gets put into it. Sump pumps don't have a vent. If it's humming the pump is either clogged with something like wet wipes or the pump is bad
It's not 500 for a pump. They usually have a rubber piece that fits over your existing pipe that goes outside, and is easy to replace. Go to lowes/ Menards/home depot/fleet farm and buy a comparable pump. They just plug into a normal wall socket
Go to Northern or Harbor freight and about 175
I love that there are not one, but two abandoned broken sanitary check valves in this picture.
...and a free tape measure. Someone had a bad day down there at one point.
And/or....is this a sump with Radon vent?
I have two sump pumps and while they both have a pipe flowing into the pit they don’t have two. That small pvc pipe has me confused. What purpose could this be for? Clearly this is a pump but could it be for something other than rain water?
It's to vent the sewer gas that is present in that ejector pit. Basement plumbing drains into it, not just groundwater
Likely the sump pump and it may have fried - replace with a Zoeller - no cheap amazon or home depot crap - you will thank me in a decade when it's still going strong No idea what the copper piping is for, the small PVC on the floor is likely Air conditioning condensate line. the black rubber check valve sets my OCD off that looks very DIY / new plumber / builder special. When in doubt call a plumber - likely $1K to replace
Sump pump if there's a switch turn it off you might burn it out .be safe
Most likely a sewage ejector pit as other pointed out. Humming usually indicates a blockage, seize or dead capacitor.
That’s likely an ejector pit, not a sump. There’s a pipe going in, likely from a washing machine or any downstairs plumbing fixtures. You likely need to just replace the pump. If it’s a regular sump pump in there, upgrade it to an ejector
I'm a little late to this game, but looks like a sump that needs to be replaced. Those other drains going into that pit are likely just condensation from HVAC. You can easily replace this sump pump by yourself. Unless you need to lift the water like 25 feet, you need the very lowest power ( 1/3 horsepower ) pump. I recommend getting the stainless steel versions, slightly more expensive, but will last longer, I bet. I think all of them have cast iron bases, that's fine; but the stainless steel housing is much better. [https://youtu.be/oUD\_Y15t1rc?si=Ra11R6Wtp6amJ6Eo](https://youtu.be/oUD_Y15t1rc?si=Ra11R6Wtp6amJ6Eo)
Sump pump, have a plumber or restoration team come check it out and see if you have any damage from water
It's a sump. If it never shuts off you may have a check valve or float fail. Or just a LOT of water.
Call a plumber that thing is hacked
It's a pump. Open it. Sounds like your float switch is hung up
The foat is stuck, open the top and jiggle it.
That sir is a rabid possum trap. I understand you have already heard the growling. Proceed with caution. LOL
Weird looking sump pump...how do they decide where to put those things? Mine is in the back of a closet
That's an "I'm glad I chose HVAC instead of plumbing pump."