College Park straddles Paint Branch and Indian Creek, and low spots such as Lakeland have a long history of flooding, so a working sump pump matters in many basements here. When a pump fails, act quickly to protect the room and then get the pump, switch or discharge line fixed. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in College Park.
College Park is a university town about four miles from the DC line, with early 20th-century neighborhoods like Calvert Hills and Old Town and a median home built in 1979. Older basements here were often waterproofed after the fact, and a pit and pump added years later. The Lakeland area is historically low-lying and flood-prone, which makes sump pump reliability a real concern in that part of the city.
What to do right now
- Stay out of standing water if outlets, cords or appliances are in it. Shut off the basement circuit at the panel first.
- Check whether the pump is plugged in and whether a GFCI outlet has tripped. Reset it once; if it trips again, leave it.
- Look at the float. If it is jammed against the side of the pit, free it gently with a stick, not your hand.
- Go outside and make sure the discharge pipe is not crushed, frozen or buried under leaves.
- Move boxes, electronics and rugs off the floor and onto shelves.
- If the water is sewage rather than clear groundwater, stop using sinks, tubs and toilets until a plumber checks the line.
Symptoms and likely causes
| Symptom | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| Pump silent, pit full | Tripped outlet, stuck float or burned-out motor |
| Motor hums, no water moves | Jammed impeller or clogged intake screen |
| Short on-off bursts | Float set too low or a failed check valve |
| Runs nonstop in a heavy storm | Pump too small for the inflow, or a high water table |
| Sewage odor and water in a basement bathroom | Ejector failure or a blocked sewer line |
WSSC Water provides sewer service in College Park. If sewage is overflowing from a manhole or the street, call WSSC's emergency line at 301-206-4002. Clear water in the pit is a different matter: the pump, basin and discharge line are the owner's to maintain, and in rental houses near the university that usually means the landlord.
A like-for-like pump swap generally needs no permit in Prince George's County. Cutting a new pit, adding an ejector for a basement bathroom or running new drain piping is plumbing work that goes through WSSC Water, which issues the permits and inspects the job.
Cost factors
- Repairing a switch or check valve compared with installing a new pump
- Sump pump or sewage ejector
- Pit condition and access in a finished basement
- Rerouting the discharge away from the house and neighbors
- Battery backup and alarm add-ons
- Emergency timing during a storm
Sump Pumps questions in College Park
Is a battery backup pump worth adding?
Will a sump pump help with water seeping through old basement walls?
Why does the pump keep running when it has not rained?
Who do I call if sewage is coming back from the street sewer?
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