One little tripped breaker could lead to a big basement mess
Power supply failures are a top cause of sump pumps malfunctioning.
The National Electrical Code (NEC) doesn’t require dedicated circuits for sump pumps.
Putting sump pumps on their own circuit can prevent them from tripping the breaker.
Installing a dedicated circuit for a sump pump costs $570–$1,000.
If you’ve ever stepped into the basement on a rainy day only to instantly get your socks wet on a puddle of water on the floor, you’re not alone. Your sump pump seems to have failed, but it’s too new to have a worn-out motor or float switch. What gives? As it turns out, the sump pump tripped the breaker. Does your sump pump need a dedicated circuit to avoid this in the future? Here’s what you need to know about the power supply for sump pumps.
The National Electrical Code (NEC) doesn’t currently require sump pumps to be on their own circuits. Your sump pump may or may not need a dedicated circuit depending on your local building codes, but a dedicated circuit isn’t explicitly required for sump pump installation.
However, it’s still a great idea to have your sump pump on its own circuit. If the sump pump is sharing a circuit with other appliances, you may find that the sump pump keeps tripping the breaker, which could lead to basement or crawl space flooding.
If your sump pump shares a circuit with other appliances, especially appliances that require a lot of power, it’s easier for either the appliance or sump pump to trip the breaker. When that happens, the sump pump will completely stop working. If the sump pump can’t pump away water because of a power failure, your basement will flood and your belongings and foundation can fall victim to water damage.
Power failures are one of the biggest reasons that sump pumps stop working. But if you take time to make your sump pump more resilient to power disruptions, it will be more likely to keep running when you need it most. Here are some tips to strengthen the power supply to your sump pump.
Even though a sump pump doesn’t legally need a dedicated circuit in all cases, it’s still safer for your home to install it on its own circuit.
If you use the same circuit for multiple appliances, you risk overloading and tripping the breaker, leaving your sump pump without power when water is rising in your basement. One of the best ways to minimize power disruptions to your sump pump is to hire a sump pump installer near you to properly install the sump pump on its own circuit.
Because they deal with water, sump pumps must have GFCI protection to decrease the risk of electrocution or fire. Your sump pump installer will need to make sure the sump pump has proper GFCI protections in order to meet the NEC requirements.
Because of the amount of energy sump pumps need to pump water up and out of the lowest level of the home, these devices can easily overload an extension cord or power strip. To avoid disrupting power to your sump pump, plug it directly into the nearest GFCI outlet.
Unless you want to drain a sump pump without electricity every time the power goes out, install a sump pump backup that can provide power even if your electric supply goes out in a storm or the breaker trips.
There are several options for keeping your sump pump running, including battery backups, water-powered backups, or a portable generator. Your budget and sump pump type will determine the best backup option for your home.
Once per month, check that your sump pump is working. This will help you find any issues, like a clog or a tripped breaker, before they become a bigger problem (anyone in the mood for a flooded basement?). You can also clean the inlet screen each season and deep clean the sump pump annually to minimize the risk of clogs. If you don’t keep up with sump pump maintenance, there’s a higher risk that the device could fail and flood your home.
The average cost to install a dedicated circuit for a sump pump or other appliance is $570 to $1,000, but this investment could save you thousands of dollars in water damage repairs. If you want to add more protection for your sump pump with backup power, expect to spend $600 to $1,200 on the cost to install a sump pump backup battery.
A sump pump can be plugged into a regular, 110-volt outlet with three-prong openings, but it must have GFCI protections per the NEC, meaning you’ll need a GFCI outlet and circuit. Sump pumps require two outlet openings, one for the plug to the motor and one for the float switch.
Most sump pumps come with power cords that can be plugged into an outlet, but there are options that can be hardwired into a home’s electrical system. Either way, it’s smart to have a backup power supply in case the electricity goes out during a storm. That way, the sump pump can keep running and removing water from the sump pit.
