Sump Pump in Hyattsville, MD

Signs it is time to call

• Water spreads across the basement floor even though the pit has a pump
• The pump takes several tries to start, or only starts when you tap it
• A loud bang in the pipe each time the pump shuts off
• Silt and gravel building up in the bottom of the basin
• The cord, plug or outlet near the pit feels warm
• No pit at all, and water comes through the floor after every big storm

Local conditions in Hyattsville

Hyattsville is a walkable inner-ring city just outside the District, with a National Register historic district of late-1880s Victorians and interwar Sears kit houses and Arts and Crafts bungalows. The median home was built in 1963, and about half are older than that. Basements from those eras were often built with stone, block or early poured walls and little or no drain tile, so many owners added a pit and pump decades later. Those retrofits often have small basins, pumps wired to old outlets, and discharge pipes that drop water a few feet from the wall where it soaks right back in.

WSSC Water provides water and sewer service in Hyattsville. If a basement bathroom drains to an ejector pump and sewage is backing up, the cause could be the ejector, roots in an old private sewer line, or a problem in the public main. Sewage spilling from a manhole or the street goes to WSSC's emergency line at 301-206-4002.

What drives the cost

• Fixing the existing pump versus replacing it with a properly sized unit
• Upgrading a shallow or cracked basin in an older basement
• Cutting a new pit where none exists, which is a much larger job
• Running the discharge far enough from the house on a tight city lot
• Ejector work for a basement bathroom
• Battery backup, alarm and storm-day timing

When you call

You will be connected with an independent plumber who works in Hyattsville. Tell them the age of the house, whether there is an existing pit, and whether the water is clear or smells of sewage. If water is near outlets, switch off the circuit before going downstairs. In Prince George's County, plumbing permits come from WSSC Water, not the County; a straight pump swap generally needs none, but a new pit with new piping is worth asking about.