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Water flowing from a drain pipe opening in concrete
Discharge water leaving through the pipe.

Home service

Aisle 2 · Basement

Sump pump installation and repair in North York

A sump pump moves groundwater from the foundation drains out of the house. It sits idle for months, so failures usually show up in the middle of a storm.

  • We start at the sump pit and discharge line
  • On the van: submersible pump and check valve
  • You see the broken part before you hear a number
  • Every fixture on the run tested before we leave
  • Licensed and insured (details on the call)
  • Price agreed before work starts
  • North York and next door

Who needs one

Houses that disconnected their foundation drains from the sanitary sewer, homes with a high water table near the Don River branches, and basements that get seepage along the floor-wall joint are the usual candidates. Some North York houses had pits installed when downspouts were disconnected or when the City of Toronto basement flooding subsidy program was used. Check the City's current terms if you are planning that route.

New pit installation

  1. We mark a spot near where the weeping tile is likely to be reached.
  2. Concrete is cut and broken out; the hole is dug below the footing drains.
  3. A perforated liner goes in on gravel, with the drains tied in.
  4. Pump, check valve and discharge pipe installed.
  5. Discharge exits the wall and outlets onto your property, well clear of the foundation.
  6. Concrete gets patched and we fill the pit to prove the pump.

Houses that disconnected their foundation drains from the sanitary sewer, homes with a high water table near the Don River branches, and basements that get seepage along the floor-wall joint are the usual candidates.

From the counter

Pump replacement

  • Pump hums but does not move water: jammed impeller or failed motor
  • Runs constantly: stuck float or broken check valve letting water fall back
  • Never runs: float caught on the pit wall, tripped circuit, dead motor

We swap in the same model or step up to a cast iron pump with a vertical float that cannot snag on the liner.

Twice a year, April and October: dump a bucket in the sump. Motor on, water down, motor off. Anything else, call.

Backups for the backup

Storms often knock out power exactly when a pump is needed. A battery backup pump on its own check valve keeps running for hours. A high-water alarm in the pit gives warning if both fail.

Questions

Where should the sump discharge go?

Onto your own property, sloping away from the house, not onto a neighbour or a sidewalk. Discharging into the sanitary sewer is not allowed.

How long do sump pumps last?

Run time is what wears them out. One that kicks on every few minutes from March to May ages much quicker than one that barely runs.

How the job runs

  1. You callDescribe what is dripping, backing up or cold, and the cross streets.
  2. We ask questionsAge of the building, pipe type if you know it, where the shut-off is.
  3. We open it upTrap off, clean-out open or wall cut: find the actual fault before quoting the fix.
  4. We test itOpen each tap on that run, watch the joints dry and show you what came out.