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How to Test Your Sump Pump Before the Storm Hits: A Simple Sump Pump Check You Can Do Yourself
2 min read • October 1st, 2015
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Home / News & Media / Uncategorized
# How to Test Your Sump Pump Before the Storm Hits: A Simple Sump Pump Check You Can Do Yourself
2 min read • October 1st, 2015
Heil Plumbing
## Table of contents
When torrential rains are in the skies, don’t get caught in the storm with a [sump pump that’s not working](https://heilplumbing.com/blog/sump-pumps/sump-pump-not-working/). Keep the water out of your basement and house with a simple sump pump check you can do yourself.
Fill a 5 gallon bucket with water. Pour the water slowly in the sump pit until it fills to the top. When the water level rises to a certain point, the float should trigger the sump pump to turn on. You will hear the motor of the sump pit churning and the water level should begin to lower. If the pump does not turn on check the following:
1. **Float Trigger/Switch:** Look into the pit and see if the float is caught on anything. The float trigger will only work if it can freely move up and down in the pit as the water rises and lowers.
2. **Breaker**: When your sump pump overheats it sometimes trips the breaker. Go to your electric panel to ensure all of the breakers are switched on.
3. **Power to the Outlet**: In rare cases, sump pumps stop working because of a failed electrical component. To test the electricity, plug a lamp into the outlet where your sump pump’s power is supplied. If the outlet is bad, run an extension cord from another one to power your pump.
4. **Battery:** Some households have a battery back up system as a secondary source of power in case of a power outage during a storm. If you think your battery is on the frits get it tested to see if it still holds a charge. Many local auto parts stores can test your battery.
If your sump pump is not in working condition contact your trusted plumber to diagnose the problem before it’s too late! A failed sump pump that isn’t addressed can lead to a flooded basement.
## The Heil Difference
We’re dedicated to offering the highest quality residential and commercial plumbing services for every customer. Our plumbers are available to respond to your call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Our residential and commercial plumbers in Columbia and Ellicott City cover every need, from simple fixture repairs to complex drain and sewer problems.
While we are based in Jessup, Maryland, our plumbing contractors also service Catonsville, Columbia, Ellicott City, Odenton, Clarksville, Elkridge, Fulton, Laurel, and Severn.
## Table of contents
## Recent Posts
[Boiler vs. Furnace: Which Heating System Is Right for Your Home?](https://heilplumbing.com/blog/boiler-vs-furnace/) [Why Your Bathroom Sink Smells — and How to Fix It](https://heilplumbing.com/blog/plumbing-tips/bathroom-sink-smells/) [Tankless vs. Tank Water Heater: Which Is Right for Your Home?](https://heilplumbing.com/blog/water-heaters/tankless-vs-tank-water-heater/) [What Would Cause Low Water Pressure in a House? Causes and Remedies](https://heilplumbing.com/blog/bath-and-shower/what-would-cause-low-water-pressure-in-a-house/) [Septic to Sewer Conversion: One Homeowner’s Experience](https://heilplumbing.com/blog/sewers/septic-to-sewer-conversion/)
## Contact
## Heil Plumbing & HVAC Team
8177 Mission Rd Jessup, MD, 20794, United States
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[https://heilplumbing.com](https://heilplumbing.com/)
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[previous post Can I Flush Wipes Down the Toilet? 4 Problems Wipes Can Cause in Your Sewer Line or Septic System](https://heilplumbing.com/blog/tips/can-i-flush-wipes-down-the-toilet-4-problems-wipes-can-cause-in-your-sewer-line-or-septic-system/)
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[next post Is Your Maryland Home’s Plumbing Prepared for Winter?](https://heilplumbing.com/blog/uncategorized/winterizing-your-howard-county-md-home/)
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The figures
100 pages, set against the 167,893 sites with figures.
Readablehigher is better
98%98 of 100 pages
All 167,893 sitesBetter than 41%
Pages whose own text is in the HTML the server sends, enough of it for their kind.
Cleanhigher is better
81%middle page
All 167,893 sitesBetter than 66%
Of the words before script, the share that are the page and not menus, footer and forms. 15 pages are not measured, with no <main> or no words.
Costshown, never scored
306,735tokens
About 3,067 a page
To read every page once. A long page that answers well is not worse for it. Tokens are estimated at about 4 characters each.
How its pages spread on Clean
Its middle, 81%
1334398
0%25%50%75%100%
85 pages measured. Not measured: 13 with no <main> or no words and 2 shells with no words before script.
Against its rivals
The sites nearest it by what they do, with figures. Close means similar work, not better.
No site near it by what it does has figures yet.
AI crawler access
What robots.txt says to each, as read on October 23, 2026. 8 of 8 may read the site.
heilplumbing.com in Agent View: 98% of pages readable, better than 41% of sites; 81% clean; 306,735 tokens to read all 100 pages. mttr.si/agent-view/heilplumbing.com
What to do next
Fix the pages, let an agent do it, and read the site again to see the figures move.
Drawn from the HTML mttr fetched on its read of October 23, 2026, not a screenshot, and only from the 100 pages read, where the read stopped at its page limit. An assistant’s own reader may differ. Tokens are estimated at about 4 characters each. A site an agent reads well is not a site an assistant cites.
