I have a Myers submersible sewage pump in my basement that has never been used (installed 3+ years ago). I’m about to have the finish work done in the basement, including installing plumbing fixtures.
Do I need to be worried that this pump isn’t going to work properly? Is there anything that need to be done (prime?) beforehand? Should I/ Can I test it with a garden hose?
Thanks,
Richard
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Replies
There's certainly no harm in testing it with a garden hose. Though you may want to vacuum out the pit first, if there's much dust, or any sort of trash in there.
If Bought New...
... there's no reason whatsoever it shouldn't work once in place & plugged/plumbed in.
If bought used, if you didn't test it before buying, I'd certainly be inclined to put it to a water-only test prior to relying on it to move effluent.
(Three yeas ago I replaced the functioning sump pump in a house we'd bought with something new. Failing to thoroughly clean out the sump well was my undoing; that pump jammed on a bit of beadboard that'd fallen in when tasked with runoff from heavy rains during a week I was 100 miles from home. No permanent damage as everything in basement had been placed on cribbing since it was apparent the previous owners had experienced issues they'd not seen fit to disclose.)
Testing something that's expected to work 100% the first time it's needed is good practice if such a test is possible. I tested the pump I installed yet failed to see the material that later caused it to jam under load.
One important reason for testing the pump is that it may be in perfect condition but not getting power. The power connection may be dead, there may be a bad connection somehere, the switch may be defective, or there may be a crack in the float ball.
Sewage pump startup
Update: I found the installation instructions that recommended a series of tests. One was to put the pump directly into the ouitlet and listen. That worked fine. Another test was to manually lift the float which I will do next weekend (I ran out of time yesterday). That entail removing the top, so I will check for any debris at that time, too.
If manually lifting starts the pump, then the last step will be with clean water (garden hose) down a sink drain.
Thanks for all of teh replies!