Licensed plumbers, written pricing, serving Yonkers
A sump pump and a well pump are two different machines, and the one that keeps a Yonkers basement dry is the sump pump: it sits in a pit at the low point of the basement and moves groundwater and stormwater out and away from the foundation. Action Construction installs, replaces, and repairs basement sump pumps for Yonkers, NY homes and buildings, including battery and water powered backup systems for the storm related power outage that is exactly when the pump is needed most.
The two names get mixed up, so here is the difference. A sump pump is a basement flood control device that sits in a pit at the low point of the floor and pumps accumulated groundwater and stormwater out to the exterior. A well pump is part of a private drinking water supply and pulls potable water up from a well into the house. Almost every property in Yonkers is on city water, so the sump pump is the one that matters here, and it is the subject of this page.
A sump pump that is failing usually tells you first. Listen for a pump that runs constantly or cycles on and off every minute, a pump that hums but does not move water, visible rust or corrosion on the body, a float switch that sticks so the pump does not start or does not stop, water standing in the pit above the normal shutoff level, a check valve that lets water fall back into the pit after each cycle, or a discharge line that is frozen or disconnected outside. A pump that is more than seven to ten years old and showing any of these should be replaced before the next heavy storm rather than after it fails during one.
Short cycling, where the pump starts and stops rapidly, is worth a call on its own. It usually means the pit is too small, the check valve has failed, or the float is set wrong, and it wears the motor out fast. A pit that has already overflowed and flooded the basement is an emergency plumbing repair.
New installation means cutting a pit into the slab at the low point of the basement, setting a basin with gravel around it, installing a submersible or pedestal pump and a quiet check valve, and running a discharge line to daylight or a storm drain well away from the foundation. Sizing the pump to the incoming water, a third horsepower for most homes and a half horsepower where the water table is high or the lift to the discharge point is long, is what keeps it from running itself to death.
Replacement is a straightforward swap of a pump that has failed or reached the end of its life, matching the new pump to the pit, the float type, and the water volume. Repair covers stuck float switches, clogged intakes, failed check valves, a waterlogged air lock in the impeller, and frozen or disconnected discharge lines. We give you a written price for whichever of the three your situation calls for before starting.
Yonkers basements flood for reasons tied to the city’s terrain and its older housing stock. Hillside lots shed water toward the downhill foundation wall, and the streets closer to the Hudson and the Bronx River sit low enough that the water table rises into the slab after a wet stretch. Prewar basements were built with no perimeter footing drain, so groundwater has nowhere to go but up through the slab and the cove joint where the floor meets the wall. Downspouts on many older homes were never carried away from the wall, so roof water lands right against the foundation and finds its way in.
Being a full general contractor lets us address those causes rather than just pump the symptom: regrading the first few feet of soil away from the house, carrying downspouts out with buried extensions, and adding an interior or exterior footing drain that feeds the pit. If the water is coming in as a steady seep from one spot rather than a rising table, a leak detection visit can rule out a buried supply line first, and the full list is on our Yonkers plumbing services hub.
A pump replacement in an existing pit is the low end of the range. A full new installation that requires breaking the slab and running a new discharge line is higher.
A pump replacement in an existing pit is the low end. A full new installation that requires cutting the slab, setting a basin, and running a new discharge line is higher. Adding a battery or water powered backup increases the price but is worth it for a finished basement. We quote the full job in writing before starting.
For a full installation, yes. Cutting the pit, setting the basin, plumbing the check valve, and routing the discharge to code so it does not dump against the foundation or across a neighbor’s lot all matter, and a licensed plumber also pulls the permit where the work requires one. A simple pump swap in an existing pit is smaller, but the discharge and check valve still need to be right.
For most Yonkers basements there is no true substitute for a properly installed sump system. Improving grading, extending downspouts, and adding a footing drain reduce how hard the pump has to work and how often it runs, which is where being a general contractor lets us treat the cause and not just the symptom, but the pump is still the last line of defense.
Most last seven to ten years. A pump that runs constantly because of a high water table, an undersized basin, or a failed check valve wears out sooner. If yours is near that age, replace it before the next heavy storm rather than after, because the storms that overwhelm a basement are the same ones that knock out power.
If the basement is finished or stores anything of value, yes. The heaviest storms that overwhelm a basement are also the ones that knock out power, so a pump with no backup tends to fail at the exact moment it is needed. A backup pump runs on its own battery or on water pressure and buys you hours to days.
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