Lewes, DE basement flooded after heavy rain storms and sump pump failure

Challenge

This office building flooded after a lot of heavy rains. It would've been fine if someone had not plugged an appliance into the same outlet as three sump pumps. The breaker popped and the pumps stopped working. There was over 7 inches of water in the 5,000 square foot basement. The biggest challenge was being able to get to the sump pumps, remove them, and diagnose the problem. Were the pumps broken or just not getting power? Also, with that much water there is a real danger of electrocution. Everyone was on high alert to be sure that we all stayed safe.

Solution

The first step was to get a sucker pump working on getting water out of the basement. Then someone had to get over to the pumps to see if they were broken. Luckily the two pumps in the first sump pit were working just fine. The three in the farthest pit seemed to be not running. Once the breaker was turned on again, the pumps started to work. One of the pumps was running slower than it should've been so it was removed and replaced.

Project Summary

Zoeller M98: basement sump sump

Zoeller M53: basement sump pump