Preventing a Frozen Sump Pump in Sussex County

Christmas is an exciting time filled with packaged surprises under the tree. This entry will help ensure that your holiday surprises don’t include home catastrophes. Many first-time homeowners in Sussex County, NJ, don’t realize that sump pumps can freeze in the winter. They head to Grandma’s to celebrate Christmas and, upon returning a few days later, find the worst surprise of all: a flooded basement. A sump pump is a specialized water pump in the basement that removes groundwater from underneath a home and expels it away from the house through a discharge hose. If the water freezes in the discharge hose, it blocks the rest of the water from leaving. This backup can flood the basement and do extensive damage to any home in Sussex.

Three Ways to Prevent Freezing

An article called “6 Tips to Avoid a Frozen Sump Pump” on Do It Yourself® explains how to prevent this:

1. Buy a wide discharge hose. The wider the discharge hose is, the more room water will have to pass through — even if a little bit does end up freezing.
2. Put gravity to work. If possible, position the discharge hose down the slope of a hill. Gravity will keep the water moving through the hose and leave no time for it to sit and freeze.
3. Try insulating. According to the article, “It is a good idea to bury the end of the discharge hose in the ground before insulating the section that remains above ground. If the ground is frozen, you will need to bury the pipe deep enough to bypass the full extent of the frozen surface.”

Professional Water Pump Tips
For more guidance on how to prevent sump pumps, submersible well pumps, and other water pumps from freezing, call 973-827-6088 to schedule an appointment with the professionals at Ackerson Pump Company. We’ve been serving Sussex County, Bergen County, Morris County, and the surrounding areas of New Jersey since 1969. Our goal is complete customer satisfaction, and we’re available 24/7 in case of emergencies. We look forward to serving you.