Lemon Grove homes seldom have basements, so a sump pump here usually drains a crawl space under an older house, a garage or patio below the street, or a pit in a commercial building, and some homes use an ejector for a bathroom below grade. Most failures trace to the float, the check valve, the power supply or the motor. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Lemon Grove.
Signs it needs a look
- Water stays in the basin after rain and the motor never starts
- A hum with no water leaving the discharge pipe
- Rapid on-off cycling or nonstop running
- A gurgle back into the pit as the pump shuts off
- Damp subfloor, warped flooring or a musty smell over a crawl space
- A sewer odor near a lower bathroom served by an ejector
How it works in Lemon Grove
Lemon Grove grew from a citrus-growing town into a compact suburban city along the San Diego Trolley's Orange Line. Much of its housing is on raised foundations or slabs with no below-grade space, so pumps are the exception. They show up in crawl spaces where rain collects under the house, in driveways and garages set below the street, and in commercial buildings along Broadway and Lemon Grove Avenue with elevator or mechanical pits.
Helix Water District supplies the city's water. Sewer is the Lemon Grove Sanitation District, which the City runs, with about 67 miles of collection pipe and treatment through the San Diego Metropolitan Wastewater system. Homeowners own the sewer lateral all the way to the main, so an ejector, its discharge line and the lateral it feeds are your responsibility. The district's office is 619-825-3810 Monday through Thursday; for a sewer spill after hours or Friday through Sunday, call Heartland Fire & Rescue Dispatch at 619-441-1621.
The sewer is for wastewater only. Rain pumped from a sump should leave through a line that empties onto ground sloping away from the house. A backup that runs on water pressure would connect to Helix water and fall under Helix's annual backflow testing, so a battery unit is the easier route.
What changes the price
- A repair on the current pump or a full replacement
- Sump versus ejector, which involves sewage and a sealed basin
- Getting into a low crawl space
- The length of a new discharge line
- Alarm or battery backup add-ons
- Permit work through the City's Building Division (619-825-3800) for new piping
When you call
You'll reach an independent plumber who works in Lemon Grove. Describe what the pump does with power on, where the pit is, and whether water is rising now. Turn off the pump's breaker first if the outlet is anywhere near water.
Sump Pumps questions in Lemon Grove
Who handles sewage coming back up from the public side?
Is it all right to send sump water into a sewer cleanout or laundry tub?
Should I repair the old pump or buy a new one?
How do I check a pump that sits idle for months at a time?
More plumbing services in Lemon Grove
Sump Pumps nearby
Helpful guides
Sources
Last updated: