24/7 Emergency Service in Cook County
Sump Pump Repair in Chicago, IL
Same-Day Repair, Priced Before We Start
Float switches, check valves, motors and frozen discharge lines. We diagnose the actual fault instead of selling you a new pump.
Answered 24 hours. Free quote over the phone.
About Sump Pump Repair Guys in Chicago
We repair sump pumps and nothing else. We do not install overhead sewers, we do not sell flood control systems, and we do not do waterproofing.
That is worth saying here, because almost every Chicago page on this subject is written by a company that sells one of those. We have no stake in which route you take, so the comparison below is a straight one.
Why water comes up the floor drain
Chicago runs combined sewers, so storm water and sewage share one pipe. When it fills, the water in it rises and finds the lowest opening connected to it. In most older homes that is the basement floor.
- The cause
One pipe, two jobs
Rainwater goes into the same pipes that carry sewage. In heavy rain the volume exceeds capacity and the level rises.
- The physics
Water finds the lowest point
In a typical older home the lowest point of the plumbing is the basement floor. That is where a surcharging sewer will come out.
- Not the pump
A pump cannot beat this
A sump pump moves groundwater out of a pit. It does not stand between your floor drain and a full city sewer. Different problem, different device.
- Still yours
The lateral is your pipe
The line from your foundation to the street is yours, and its condition decides how often ordinary rain becomes a backup.
Three ways people stop it
We sell none of these, so here is the plain comparison. They are less alternatives than different amounts of protection at different costs.
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A valve you cannot reach is a valve you cannot test
Chicago code requires backwater valves to be accessible for inspection. A concealed one cannot be tested or serviced without demolition.
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Never into the sanitary sewer
City code prohibits discharging a sump pump into the sanitary sewer, while permitting a storm drain where separated infrastructure exists. Check which you actually have.
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Ask about rebates before you commit
Chicago has run assistance through its Basement Flooding Partnership, and many suburbs offer rebates. Programmes change, so confirm first.
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Permits are normal here
Valves, ejector pumps and overhead conversions generally need permits here. A quote without them is not a complete quote.
What we repair
- 01
Float switch
The most common failure. If it runs when you lift the float by hand, this is it.
- 02
Check valve
Failed valves drop the discharge column back into the pit seconds after shutoff.
- 03
Impeller and motor
Grinding, humming or tripping. We test under load before recommending replacement.
- 04
Pit and basin
Cracked, silted or undersized basins short-cycle every pump fitted into them.
- 05
Discharge line
Blocked, crushed, frozen, or terminating where the water simply returns.
- 06
Ejector and backup pumps
Servicing the second pump most Chicago basements have, and load testing the battery on it.
Chicago neighborhoods we cover
Same-day service citywide.
- Albany Park
- Avondale
- Belmont Cragin
- Beverly
- Bridgeport
- Chatham
- Edgewater
- Galewood
- Garfield Ridge
- Hermosa
- Jefferson Park
- Lincoln Square
- Logan Square
- Mount Greenwood
- North Park
- Norwood Park
- Portage Park
- Pullman
- Rogers Park
- Roseland
- South Shore
- West Ridge
ZIP codes we service
- 60605
- 60607
- 60608
- 60609
- 60612
- 60614
- 60618
- 60620
- 60622
- 60625
- 60629
- 60630
- 60634
- 60638
- 60641
- 60643
Not listed? We cover all of Cook County. Call and we will confirm in under a minute.
Chicago sump pump questions, answered
My pump works. Why did sewage still come up the drain?
Because they are unrelated. A sump pump empties a pit of groundwater. Sewage at a floor drain means the combined sewer surcharged and rose above your basement floor. Only a valve or an overhead conversion addresses that.
Can I get to my backwater valve?
You should be able to. City code requires them to be accessible for inspection. If yours was hidden under a finished floor it cannot be tested or serviced without demolition.
Can my sump discharge into the sewer?
Not the sanitary sewer. City code prohibits it. A storm drain is permitted where separated infrastructure exists, so the first question is which type serves your street.
Is an overhead sewer worth it?
We do not sell them, so take this straight. It raises every basement drain line above the sewer’s surcharge level, leaving no low connection for pressure to enter. It costs far more than a valve and needs the least looking after.
Do I need a bigger pump if mine cannot keep up?
Usually not. A failed check valve or a basin too small for the inflow both look like an undersized pump. Oversizing into a small pit causes short-cycling and destroys the switch.
How fast can someone come out?
Same day across most of Cook County, and after hours when water is already coming in. Most parts-level repairs finish in the same visit.
We only sell the repair. That keeps the advice straight.
Emergency repair, diagnostics, pit and valve testing, or a dry-weather inspection. Serving Chicago and all of Cook County.