The storms that overwhelm a sump pump are the same storms that take the power out. That is the whole argument for a battery backup.
Why it matters here
Metro Vancouver averages around 242 mm of rain in November, with measurable rain on roughly 70% of days. October brings about 155 mm and December about 206 mm. If your sump is going to be tested, it will be tested in that window.
In Richmond and the low ground of Pitt Meadows and Port Coquitlam the water table sits close to the surface year-round, and the sump is not a precaution — it is working equipment running most of the winter.
Testing yours, in five minutes
- Lift the lid and look. Debris, silt or a pump sitting in sludge is a problem on its own.
- Pour a bucket of water into the pit until the float rises.
- The pump should start promptly, run smoothly, and stop cleanly when the float drops.
- Check the discharge actually leaves the building and is not blocked or frozen.
- Check the check valve — if water runs back into the pit after it stops, the valve has failed and the pump will short-cycle itself to death.
If it hums without pumping, grinds, cycles repeatedly, or does nothing, it needs attention before the rain starts.
Battery backup is not optional
A mains-only pump is useless in a power cut, and in the Lower Mainland the heaviest rain arrives with wind. A backup system runs the pump from a sealed battery for hours, which covers almost every outage we see.
Water alarms are worth adding at the same time. A sensor in the pit that alerts your phone turns a silent failure into something you can act on.
What it costs you to wait
The average basement flood in Canada costs about $43,000. A replacement pump with battery backup is a fraction of the deductible on that claim, let alone the claim itself — and several insurers have introduced minimum deductibles of $2,500 specifically for water damage.
Booking it
We work across Langley, Surrey, Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, the North Shore, the Tri-Cities and the Fraser Valley. Licensed and insured, with a written workmanship warranty set out in our Service Guarantee.
This is one of eight jobs we cover in the autumn plumbing guide for the Lower Mainland.
Related guides
- Backwater Valves: The One-Way Gate Between the Sewer and Your Basement
- Perimeter Drainage: Why Basements Get Damp in November, Not August
- Outdoor Taps and the Lower Mainland Freeze Nobody Plans For
- Boiler and Hydronic Heating Service: Book It Before the Heating Season
