Sump Pump Repair in San Clemente, CA

Why would a coastal San Clemente house need a sump pump?

On a sloped lot, a house often steps down the hill with a lower floor partly below grade. Rain running off the ground above can collect against that back wall, and a sump pit with a pump gives the water somewhere to go. Housing in San Clemente has some age to it: census survey figures put the median year built at 1982, so a pump installed by an earlier owner may be well past its prime. Salt air near the ocean is also hard on exposed cords, junction boxes and metal fittings on the outdoor end of the line.

Where is pump water supposed to go?

Outdoors, onto ground that carries it away from the house. A hose run into a laundry sink or sewer cleanout sends storm water into the wastewater system. In San Clemente that system belongs to the City for most homes, to Santa Margarita Water District in Talega and to South Coast Water District in a small part of north San Clemente; your water bill shows which one serves you. Runoff in a sewer adds load during exactly the hours those pipes are busiest. If you spot a sewer overflow in the street, the City has a utilities hotline for water leaks and sewer overflows at 949-366-1553.

Should I repair the old pump or replace it?

A failed float switch or check valve on a fairly new pump is worth fixing. A pump that hums without moving water, overheats, trips the outlet or shows rust on its housing is usually ready to go. Replacement is also a good moment to add a high-water alarm or a battery backup. If you'd rather have a backup that runs on household water pressure, remember that it ties into the drinking water line. The City runs a Cross-Connection Control Management Plan, so ask your water provider what protection a water-powered unit needs before buying one. Plumbing changes go through the City's Community Development Building Division.

A note for San Clemente owners

City water here is hard: the City's water quality report lists 293 mg/L (17 grains per gallon) for water from the Baker treatment plant and 236 mg/L (14 grains per gallon) for Metropolitan treated water. Hardness has little effect on an ordinary sump pump, since the pit collects runoff and groundwater, but it does matter for a water-powered backup, whose small valves can scale over time. Test that kind of unit at least once a year.