waterdamagequotesPrevention · the test before the storm
Sump pump maintenance: the annual test, the backup, the discharge line, and the valve beside it
A sump pump sits in a hole in the floor doing nothing most of the year, and the one day it matters is a storm, often with the power out. Maintenance is how you find out it works before that day instead of on it. The federal guidance for it is short and specific, and almost none of it needs a professional.
This page sets out the Government of Canada’s maintenance routine for sump pumps — the annual test, the backup checks, the discharge line — when to check during the year, the shorter routine for the backwater valve that usually sits next to it, and why a documented routine matters if the basement floods anyway. What a pump costs and what cities pay towards one is on sump pump cost; what happens when one fails is on sump pump failure.
The short version
- Federal guidance: a full pump test once a year — power on, backup connected, water into the pit, watch it empty.
- Check the backup pump two to five times a year, and watch the pit during heavy rain, snowmelt and power outages.
- The discharge line needs a working check valve, no obstruction, and an outlet pointed away from the house.
- Replace the pump about every 10 years, subject to the manufacturer; clean the backwater valve at least twice a year.
The parts you are checking
| Part | What it does | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Sump pit (crock) | Collects water from the weeping tile | Debris, silt, standing water level |
| Primary pump | Lifts the water out | Starts when the pit fills; runs without grinding |
| Float or switch | Tells the pump to start | Moves freely; not caught on the pit wall or cord |
| Check valve | Stops pumped water running back | Federal guidance: functioning effectively |
| Discharge line | Carries water outside | Unobstructed; outlet away from the foundation; not frozen |
| Backup pump | Takes over if the primary fails | Checked two to five times a year |
| Battery or other alternate power | Runs the backup in an outage | Charged; connected |
| Alarm | Warns that the water is rising | Sounds when tested |
The annual test, step by step
Government of Canada, Get Prepared — Sump pumps · 2026
How the page describes the test: make sure the pump is connected to power, including the battery backup pump if there is one, pour water into the pit, and confirm the pump activates and sends the water out. Date modified March 23, 2026.
- Check the power. The pump plugged in or wired, and the backup pump connected if you have one — the federal test includes both.
- Look in the pit. Remove debris that could jam the float or block the intake.
- Pour water in. Slowly, with a bucket, until the float rises.
- Watch it start and empty. The federal page asks you to confirm that the pump activates and sends the water out.
- Go outside. Confirm the water is coming out of the discharge where it should, away from the foundation.
- Write it down. Date, what you saw, anything you fixed.
That is the whole routine. If the pump hums without moving water, cycles on and off constantly, or the float sticks, the pump is telling you something before the storm does.
Government of Canada, Get Prepared — Sump pumps · 2026
The federal replacement interval, with the caveat to check the manufacturer's recommendation. The page also says to perform a full pump test once a year.
The backup pump and the power
Government of Canada, Get Prepared — Sump pumps · 2026
The storm that overloads the sewer is frequently the storm that takes the power out, which is why this sentence matters more than it reads. Toronto funds the battery backup separately; London funds it at $1,400.
Government of Canada, Get Prepared — Sump pumps · 2026
Following the manufacturer's instructions or with a professional. The same page asks you to check the pump during and after rainfall, rapid ice melt and snowmelt, and during a power outage, to make sure the pit is being emptied.
The backup gets checked more often than the primary because it is the part that is never exercised: it runs only when something else has failed. Two to five checks a year, by the manufacturer’s method. A battery backup needs its battery checked and replaced when the manufacturer says, because a backup with a flat battery is a second hole in the floor. The sump pump failure page covers what Toronto, London and St. Catharines pay towards a backup.
The discharge line and the check valve
Government of Canada, Get Prepared — Sump pumps · 2026
About the discharge pipe, which the page also asks to be unobstructed so water flows freely, and pointed away from the foundation rather than towards a slope that leads back to the house. It recommends licensed professionals for installation and the electrical circuit, and learning the required maintenance and warranty at installation.
Three failures happen outside the pit. A check valve that does not close lets the water in the line fall back into the pit every cycle, so the pump runs twice as often. A blocked or frozen line means the pump runs and nothing leaves. And an outlet that empties onto a slope towards the house sends the same water back into the weeping tile. Cities set their own discharge rules too:
Government of Canada, Get Prepared — Sump pumps · 2026
The federal minimum for where the discharge pipe should let go, preferably onto an area with good drainage such as a lawn or garden. Toronto's subsidy conditions ask for at least two metres onto a permeable surface, so the municipal rule is the stricter one where both apply.
City of Winnipeg, Sump pit drainage systems · 2025
Page last updated January 22, 2025. The City ties the rule to its Lot Grading By-law. It also says permits and inspections are needed to install a backwater valve and a sump pit.
A year of checks
| When | What | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Once a year | Full pump test, including the backup | Get Prepared: sump pumps |
| Two to five times a year | Backup pump performance | Get Prepared: sump pumps |
| During and after heavy rain, rapid ice melt and snowmelt | Pit is being emptied | Get Prepared: sump pumps |
| During a power outage | Pit is being emptied | Get Prepared: sump pumps |
| About every 10 years | Replace the pump, subject to the manufacturer | Get Prepared: sump pumps |
| At least twice a year | Clean the backwater valve | Get Prepared: backwater valves |
Spring snowmelt is the one people miss. The ground thaws, the water table rises and the pit fills for days. A pump that has sat idle all winter gets its hardest test at the moment nobody is watching. Check it when the snow starts to go, and look again after the first heavy spring rain.
The backwater valve next to it
Government of Canada, Get Prepared — Backwater valves · 2026
The page highly recommends hiring a plumber to inspect and maintain the valve — depending on the type, at least once a year in the spring — and lists what to check: seals and gaskets for cracks or wear, that the gate or flap moves freely, the inspection chamber for debris, and the cleanout cap. On a valve with a clear cover, check that the flap is closed during heavy rain. Date modified March 23, 2026.
The backwater valve protects against the opposite problem: sewage coming in rather than groundwater going out. Its maintenance is mostly about debris and seals, because a flap jammed open by grease or a cracked gasket fails silently. EPCOR adds a check most pages leave out:
EPCOR Edmonton, Backwater valve · 2026
EPCOR's other check is the one no municipal page in Ontario mentions: “Check the O-ring on the backwater valve. If it's cracked or damaged, replace it.” Its seasonal maintenance guidance puts the valve check in both the spring and the fall list. EPCOR is the water utility for Edmonton and is cited here for the maintenance detail, not for an Ontario rule.
Cities set their own intervals — Peel says at least once a year or before forecast heavy rain, Ottawa says periodically or before heavy rain, Toronto says by the manufacturer’s directions. The full comparison is on the backwater valve page. One rule applies everywhere: do not build a finished floor over the valve’s access cover.
Why a written record matters
General Insurance OmbudService (GIO), Water Damage & Insurance: What will my insurance cover? · 2026
GIO's definition of sewer backup coverage — which is where it places sump pump failure. It describes the coverage as optional, available for most home, rental and condo policies. Public Safety Canada's overland flood page likewise lists sump pump failure among the add-on coverages a policy might include.
Sump pump failure sits inside sewer backup coverage on GIO’s definition, and that coverage is optional. Where it applies, the question after a flood is often whether the failure was sudden or the result of neglect. GIO’s list of typical water exclusions starts with wear and tear. A dated log of annual tests and backup checks, following the federal routine, is the plainest evidence you have that the pump was looked after.
General Insurance OmbudService (GIO), Water Damage & Insurance: What will my insurance cover? · 2026
GIO's list continues with mould, and with water damage caused by freezing while you are away from home for a set period of time. That period is defined by each insurer, not by GIO, which is why the number of days before an empty house loses freezing cover is a question for your own wording.
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Questions people actually ask
How often should a sump pump be tested?
The Government of Canada says to perform a full pump test once a year, with the pump and any battery backup connected, by pouring water into the pit and confirming the pump activates and sends the water out.
How often should a backup sump pump be checked?
Two to five times a year, according to federal guidance, following the manufacturer's instructions or with a professional.
When should I check my sump pump?
Federal guidance says to check it during and after rainfall, rapid ice melt and snowmelt, and during a power outage, to make sure the pit is being emptied, in addition to the annual test.
How long does a sump pump last?
The Government of Canada says sump pumps should generally be replaced every 10 years, subject to the manufacturer's recommendation.
How often should a backwater valve be cleaned?
At least twice a year to remove dirt and grease buildup, according to the Government of Canada, which highly recommends having a plumber inspect and maintain it.
Does insurance cover a sump pump that failed?
Not under a standard policy. GIO places sump pump failure within sewer backup coverage, which is optional, and lists wear and tear among typical exclusions.
Where to read next
- Sump pump cost and rebates
- Sump pump failure and backups
- Backwater valves
- Hot water tank maintenance
- Basement flooding
Sources cited on this page
- Government of Canada, Get Prepared — Sump pumps
- City of Winnipeg, Sump pit drainage systems
- Government of Canada, Get Prepared — Backwater valves
- EPCOR Edmonton, Backwater valve
- Region of Peel, Sanitary backwater valve rebate
- City of Ottawa, Residential Protective Plumbing frequently asked questions (PDF)
- City of Toronto, Basement Flooding Protection Subsidy Program
- General Insurance OmbudService (GIO), Water Damage & Insurance: What will my insurance cover?
Every figure above was read from the source it is attributed to on September 20, 2026. How we check this.
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