24/7 Emergency Service in Dane County
Sump Pump Repair in Madison, WI
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 Madison
We repair sump pumps and nothing else. No waterproofing upsell, no membership plan. You get a diagnosis, a written price, and a full-cycle test before we leave.
If your pump seems to run constantly, that may not be a fault. Madison says the groundwater table has risen into conflict with basements, and pumps running all year are a known result.
The water table came up to meet the floor
The city puts a number on it. Average annual precipitation has risen by roughly three inches over twenty years, and in many areas the groundwater table now sits in conflict with the basement.
- Normal now
Running all year is a known result
The city calls constant running a nuisance outcome of the risen table, not evidence of a broken machine.
- Still check
But constant is not always groundwater
A stuck float or failed check valve give the same symptom for a fraction of the cost. Rule those out first.
- Duty
Hours matter more than years
A pump running around the clock ages faster than the calendar suggests. Judge it by work done, not years.
- Never
Not the sanitary sewer
Sump connections to the sanitary sewer are not allowed and can cause sewage to back up into your own basement.
A wet year keeps working long after it ends
The last stretch of high lake levels ran from August 2007 to August 2008. Groundwater did not settle back to normal until about August 2009, a full year after the lakes came down.
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Tell Engineering before you install
If the city knows a pump is planned, staff review records and recommend where the discharge should go. That advice costs nothing.
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Storm sewer if it is close enough
Direct connection is an option where a storm sewer is available, typically treated as within a hundred feet. Discharge to the curb is another.
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Clear water goes outside, full stop
Drain tile water is clear water. Never into a floor drain, sink or the home sewer system. It goes onto the lawn or the storm sewer.
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The lateral is yours to repair
Private laterals carry wastewater to the larger system, and property owners must maintain and repair all of them.
What we repair
- 01
Float switch
The most common failure, and the usual cause of a pump that will not stop.
- 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
Frozen discharge lines
Thawed and cleared, then re-pitched so the same freeze does not repeat next winter.
- 06
High-duty replacements
Sizing a pump for a pit that genuinely runs all year, rather than one that runs in storms.
Madison neighborhoods we cover
Same-day service citywide.
- Downtown Madison
- Tenney-Lapham
- Marquette
- Schenk-Atwood
- Monroe Street
- Vilas
- Regent
- Nakoma
- Westmorland
- Hill Farms
- Maple Bluff
- Sherman
- Eken Park
- Hawthorne
- Midvale Heights
- Yahara River
- Lake Mendota
- Lake Monona
- Middleton
- Sun Prairie
- Verona
- Fitchburg
ZIP codes we service
- 53703
- 53704
- 53705
- 53706
- 53711
- 53713
- 53714
- 53715
- 53716
- 53717
- 53718
- 53719
- 53726
- 53562
- 53590
- 53593
Not listed? We cover all of Dane County. Call and we will confirm in under a minute.
Madison sump pump questions, answered
My pump runs constantly. Is it broken?
Not necessarily. The city reports precipitation up about three inches a year over two decades and the groundwater table now in conflict with basements, so year-round running is a known outcome. Still worth ruling out a stuck float or failed check valve, which look identical and cost far less.
We had a wet year, so why is it worse now?
Groundwater lags. After the high lake levels of 2007 to 2008 it took until around August 2009 to return to normal. A pump that coped through one spring can fail the next because the load never left.
Where should the discharge go?
Onto the lawn, to the curb, or into the storm sewer where one is available, generally treated as within a hundred feet. Never the sanitary sewer, a floor drain or a sink.
Can the city advise before I install one?
Yes. Tell Engineering in advance and staff will review records and recommend the discharge point. Doing that first avoids relocating the pipe later.
What should I do during a backup?
Stop all water use, stay out of the standing water, and call the city’s 24 hour engineering operations line. Crews are available around the clock. Call your insurer too if you hold backup or service line cover.
How fast can someone come out?
Same day across most of Dane County, and after hours when water is already coming in. Most parts-level repairs finish in the same visit.
Constant running is normal here. A failing switch is not.
Emergency repair, diagnostics, pit and valve testing, or a dry-weather inspection. Serving Madison and all of Dane County.