You don’t think about your sump pump until it stops working. Then you’re standing in two inches of water at 11 p.m., watching the rain through your basement window, wondering how bad this is going to get.
When your pump’s running right, you don’t deal with that. Heavy storms roll through Burlington, your pump kicks on, and the water goes where it’s supposed to—out and away from your foundation. No scrambling for a wet vac. No ruined boxes in storage. No frantic calls trying to find someone who’ll actually show up.
Your belongings stay dry. Your foundation stays protected. And when the power goes out during the next big storm, you’ve got a backup system that actually works instead of hoping for the best. That’s what a properly maintained sump pump system does—it handles the water so you don’t have to think about it.
We’ve spent over three decades keeping homes in Burlington and Alamance County dry. We started with air quality and crawlspace work, but when you’re under houses all day, you see what happens when water management fails.
Burlington gets hit with heavy rainfall that overwhelms drainage systems—especially in older neighborhoods where plumbing wasn’t built for today’s storm patterns. We’ve seen what happens when sump pumps fail during those downpours, and we’ve helped hundreds of homeowners recover and prevent it from happening again.
We’re a family-owned business, and we’ve built our reputation on showing up when it matters and doing the work right the first time. No runaround, no upselling services you don’t need—just straight answers about what’s wrong and what it takes to fix it.
First, we assess what’s actually going on. Is the pump dead, or is it the float switch? Is your discharge line frozen or clogged? Is the sump pit filling faster than the pump can handle? We figure out the real problem before we touch anything.
Then we explain what needs to happen. If it’s a quick fix—clearing a clog, replacing a switch—we handle it and test the system. If your pump’s done and needs replacing, we’ll walk you through your options based on your basement size, typical water volume, and whether you need battery backup for power outages.
Once the repair or installation is complete, we run the system to make sure it’s actually working under load. We check the float operation, verify the discharge is clear, and confirm the pump cycles properly. You’ll know it works before we leave, not during the next rainstorm.
If you’re dealing with an active flood, we prioritize getting the water out first, then address why the system failed so it doesn’t happen again.
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Our sump pump repair service covers the full system—not just the pump itself. We inspect and service the sump pit, check for debris that could jam the float, test the check valve, and make sure your discharge line isn’t dumping water right back against your foundation.
For Burlington homeowners, battery backup systems aren’t optional—they’re necessary. Power outages happen during the exact storms that flood basements. We install and maintain backup pump systems that kick in automatically when the power drops, so you’re covered even when the grid isn’t.
Regular sump pump maintenance catches problems before they become floods. We check motor function, clean the pit, verify weep hole operation, and test the system under realistic conditions. Most pumps last about ten years, but only if they’re maintained. Neglect cuts that lifespan in half.
We also handle sump pump installation for new systems or full replacements. If your current setup isn’t sized right for Burlington’s heavy rains, or if you’re adding a pump to a basement that’s never had one, we’ll design a system that actually matches your property’s water management needs.
Your pump will usually give you warning signs if you’re paying attention. Listen for unusual noises—grinding, rattling, or a motor that sounds like it’s struggling. If the pump runs constantly, even when it hasn’t rained, something’s wrong with the float switch or there’s a leak in your discharge line sending water back into the pit.
Check the sump pit itself. If you see rust, corrosion, or the pump looks like it’s been sitting in dirty water for years, it’s overdue for service. Test the system by pouring a bucket of water into the pit—the float should rise, the pump should kick on, and the water should drain out quickly. If any part of that sequence fails or hesitates, call someone before the next storm does it for you.
Most sump pump failures happen during heavy use, which means they fail exactly when you need them most. Annual maintenance catches these issues early. If your pump is over seven years old and you’ve never had it serviced, you’re running on borrowed time.
Power outages are the biggest culprit. When severe weather knocks out electricity, your pump stops working right when your basement is taking on the most water. That’s why battery backup systems exist—they’re not a luxury in Burlington, they’re a necessity given how our storms behave.
The second most common failure is simply being overwhelmed. Your sump pump was sized for average rainfall, but when Burlington gets hit with the kind of downpours we’ve seen in recent years, the pit fills faster than the pump can evacuate it. If your pump is undersized or aging, it can’t keep up, and your basement floods even though the pump is technically running.
Mechanical failures happen too—seized motors, jammed float switches, clogged discharge lines, or debris in the pit that prevents proper operation. A lot of homeowners don’t realize their pump has failed until there’s standing water, because they never test it or look at it between storms. Regular inspection prevents most of these failures before they cost you thousands in water damage.
Simple repairs—replacing a float switch, clearing a clog, fixing a discharge line—typically run a few hundred dollars. If the motor’s burned out or the pump is too old to repair reliably, you’re looking at replacement, which varies based on the type of system you need.
A standard sump pump replacement costs less than a system with battery backup, but that backup system is what keeps your basement dry when the power goes out during a storm. Given Burlington’s weather patterns, most homeowners find the extra cost worth it after the first time they avoid a flood because their backup kicked in.
The real cost comparison isn’t repair versus replacement—it’s prevention versus water damage. Basement flooding can easily hit five figures once you factor in ruined belongings, structural repairs, mold remediation, and temporary housing if it’s bad enough. Spending money on a reliable sump pump system, or fixing one before it fails completely, is always cheaper than dealing with the aftermath of a flooded basement.
You can install a basic sump pump if you’re comfortable with plumbing and electrical work, but most DIY installations miss critical details that lead to failures. The pump needs to be the right size for your water volume. The discharge line needs to drain far enough from your foundation that water doesn’t just seep back in. The pit needs to be properly sized and positioned. And if you’re adding battery backup, you’re dealing with more complex wiring and system integration.
Professional installation ensures the system actually works when you need it. We’ve repaired plenty of DIY setups where the pump was undersized, the float switch was installed backward, or the discharge dumped water right back toward the house. Those mistakes don’t show up until the system fails during a storm, which is the worst possible time to find out you did it wrong.
If your basement has flooded before, or if you’re dealing with high water volume, don’t guess. The cost of professional installation is a fraction of what you’ll pay to fix water damage from a system that doesn’t work right. And if you’re in Burlington dealing with our rainfall patterns, you want a system designed for local conditions, not generic instructions from a big box store.
Once a year, ideally before storm season hits in spring. Annual maintenance catches wear and tear before it becomes a failure. We clean the pit, test the float and check valve, inspect the discharge line, verify the motor’s running smoothly, and make sure the system can handle a full cycle under load.
If your pump runs frequently—because you’re in a low-lying area or you have high groundwater—consider servicing it twice a year. Pumps that work harder wear out faster, and you want to catch problems early when you’re depending on the system that much.
Between professional service, test your pump yourself every few months. Pour water into the pit and watch it cycle. Make sure the float moves freely and the pump kicks on and off like it should. Listen for strange noises. Check that water’s actually discharging away from your house. These quick tests take five minutes and can save you from finding out your pump’s dead when your basement’s flooding.
Yes. Burlington’s severe weather frequently causes power outages during the exact storms that flood basements. Your primary sump pump runs on electricity, so when the power drops, your pump stops—right when you need it most. A battery backup system solves that problem by automatically taking over when the main power fails.
We’ve responded to countless flooded basements where the homeowner had a working sump pump that just wasn’t running because the power was out. The storm passed, the power came back on, and by then they had six inches of water and thousands of dollars in damage. A backup system would have prevented all of it.
Battery backup pumps aren’t just for outages—they also provide redundancy if your primary pump fails or can’t keep up with heavy water volume. The backup kicks in and helps evacuate water until you can get the main system repaired. Given what basement flooding costs in repairs and lost belongings, a backup system pays for itself the first time it keeps your basement dry during a power outage.
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