Sump Discharge Line Blocked or Frozen

How you know this is it

• The pump runs and runs but the level in the pit does not drop
• Water audibly falling back into the pit after every cycle
• The pump trips its thermal cutout and stops until it cools
• Ice visible at the discharge outlet in cold weather
• The outlet end buried, crushed, or grown over outside

What usually causes it

• Ice forming at the outlet or in a long horizontal run during a hard freeze
• Debris, silt, or gravel in the line, often from a pit that was never cleaned out
• A crushed or collapsed section, common where the line runs shallow across a yard
• A discharge outlet buried by soil, mulch, or growth over a season or two
• A frozen or blocked check valve holding the line closed

What we do about it

• Find where the line is actually blocked instead of guessing at the visible end
• Clear the blockage and check the whole run for the sag or crush that caused it
• Re-route or re-pitch a discharge that freezes every winter, because clearing it annually is not a fix
• Fit or replace the check valve where it is the thing holding the line shut
• Get the outlet discharging somewhere the water will actually leave, away from the foundation