Test the sump pump

What to do

Pour a bucket of water into the pit until the float lifts, and watch the whole cycle through.

Why it matters

A pump that has sat unused since last spring is a pump that may not start, and you find out with water already coming in — during the melt on the prairies, during a week of November rain on the coast. Water damage traced back to drainage the owner did not manage is excluded from Alberta warranty coverage.

What to look for

• The float rises and the pump starts on its own
• Water actually leaves — listen for it moving down the discharge pipe
• The pump stops when the float drops, rather than running dry
• The discharge line outside is connected, unfrozen, and ends well away from the wall
• The check valve holds, so water does not run straight back into the pit
• The cover goes back on sealed and latched — it is required to be airtight and to resist removal by children

Where this comes from

Habitat Studio p.30 and CMHC CE 47, which both put it in spring — "before the spring thaw sets in". March is before the melt in Alberta; zone 4 is anchored to October instead, before the wet season rather than before a melt it does not have.