Serving Madison and nearby areas
A sump pump running constantly in Madison, WI is either a pump fault or ground water that never lets up, and a free inspection tells you which one and how to protect the basement.
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Need help sooner? Call (608) 719-3321.
Much of Madison sits between two lakes on filled marsh, with a water table close to the surface. Wet, silty glacier soil freezes several feet deep each winter and pushes on basement walls, and many homes near the isthmus and campus have stone or block basements close to 100 years old.
Typical published ranges for Madison. The contractor's written estimate is the price, and the inspection is free.
| Work | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Inspection and written estimate | Free |
| Sump pump repair, typical | $150 to $500 |
| Float switch, replaced | $100 to $150 |
| New sump pump, installed | $700 to $1,600 |
| Backup battery, replaced | $250 to $500 |
| Inside perimeter drain tile | $40 to $120per linear foot |
A sump pump that never stops can mean one of two things. Either something in the pump setup is broken, or the ground under your house is full of water and the pump is doing its job nonstop. In Madison, the second one is more common than most people expect.
Finding out which one you have is the first step, and you can often tell in ten minutes.
The pump runs every few minutes, day and night
Even in dry weeks.
The pit refills fast after the pump shuts off
Clear water flows in from the drain pipes in the side of the pit.
The pump clicks on and off in short bursts
Every 30 seconds to 2 minutes, with little water in the pit.
The pump hums but the water does not drop
The motor runs and nothing leaves.
Wet grass, algae or ice where the line drains
The discharge spot is always soggy, or a sheet of ice forms on the walk or street in winter.
A higher electric bill
A pump that runs nonstop uses power nonstop.
Some causes are simple and cheap to fix.
A stuck float. The float is the switch that turns the pump on. If it catches on the pipe, the cord or the pit wall, the pump keeps running. Unplug the pump, then check that the float moves freely.
A bad check valve. This valve on the pipe stops water from falling back into the pit. If it fails, the same water drains back after each cycle, and the pump turns on again in a minute or two.
A pump that is too small or worn out. If the pump hums but barely moves water, it may be at the end of its life.
If the float moves freely, the valve holds, and the pit still keeps filling with clean water, the cause is ground water.
The City of Madison says many older neighborhoods sit on "made land," old wetlands and low areas that were filled to build homes. The city also says average yearly rain and snow have gone up about 3 inches over the last 20 years. Ground water in many of these areas has risen to meet basements, and the city says that leaves pumps running 24/7/365.
Ground water here also follows the lakes. A city story map explains that as river and lake levels rise, ground water rises with them. When it climbs above the bottom of a basement, water comes in through cracks and joints. After the high water of 2007 and 2008, the city says it took until August 2009 for ground water to drop back to normal. That is why a pump can keep running long after the last storm.
The 2018 floods made this worse. Parts of Dane County got 11 to 15 inches of rain in August 2018, and county officials said the soil was so wet in places that it could not drain.
Watch it if the pump runs often in spring and slows down in summer and fall. That is the normal Madison pattern for a wet lot.
Fix it soon if the pump short-cycles, if it seems weaker than it used to be, or if the discharge is icing the walk or flooding a neighbor.
Act now if the pump cannot keep up and water rises over the pit, if the motor is hot or hums without pumping, or if you have no backup and storms are coming. On a high water table, a pump that stops lets the water rise fast.
Repair the pump
New float, new check valve, or a new pump sized for the job.
Add a backup
A battery backup pump or a second pump in the same pit, so one failure does not flood the basement.
Fix where the water goes
The city lists the storm sewer as the best option for pumps that run a lot. A storm hookup needs a right-of-way permit and a contractor qualified to work there. Moving the discharge away from the house keeps the same water from cycling back.
Improve the drain
Some older homes have a pit with little or no drain tile feeding it. An inside drain around the walls lets the pump catch water before it reaches the floor.
Reduce surface water
Downspouts and grading that send roof water away cut the load on the pump in every storm.
From published cost guides: most sump pump repairs run $150 to $500. A float switch is about $100 to $150 to replace. A new pump installed is about $700 to $1,600. A backup battery runs about $250 to $500. Inside drain tile is about $40 to $120 per linear foot. These are typical ranges, not quotes.
In some neighborhoods, yes. The City of Madison says rising ground water in older areas built on filled wetlands has left some pumps running 24/7/365. It is not a sign of a broken pump by itself, but it does wear the pump out faster.
Ground water keeps filling the pit. The city says ground water follows lake and river levels, so it can stay high for weeks or months after the rain stops. After the 2007 to 2008 high water, it took until August 2009 for ground water to drop back to normal.
Quick on and off cycling is often a check valve that lets the water fall back into the pit after each cycle, or a float that is stuck. Both are cheap to fix. Watch the pit right after the pump shuts off. If the water rushes back in from the pipe, it is the valve.
The city lists the storm sewer as the best option for pumps that run a lot, often if one is within about 100 feet. Draining to the yard can kill grass and bother neighbors. Draining to the curb can ice up the street in winter. The sanitary sewer and floor drains are not allowed.
If your pump runs often, a backup is worth pricing. A pump that runs nonstop wears out sooner, and storms that knock out power are when you need it most. Battery backups and second pumps are both common.
Call (608) 719-3321 or send the short form. A local crew will call you back, check the pump and the pit, and give you a written price. The inspection is free.
