Many Suitland homes date from the postwar decades, and older basements here often depend on a sump pump to stay dry during heavy rain. When that pump stops, the cause is usually power, a stuck float, a worn motor or a frozen or blocked discharge. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Suitland.
Why do older Suitland basements take on water?
Suitland grew fast after federal offices arrived during World War II, and the median home was built around 1973. Foundations from that era often relied on tar coatings and clay drain tile that have aged, cracked or silted up. Water then finds its way through floor joints and wall seams after long storms. A sump pit with a working pump gives that water somewhere to go, but only if the pump starts when the float rises and the discharge carries the water well away from the house. Pumps added decades ago in these homes are often undersized or near the end of their life.
Is a backup in the basement my problem or WSSC's?
Clear water in the sump pit is always on the homeowner's side. If a basement toilet or laundry drains to an ejector pump and sewage is backing up, the cause may be the ejector, the private sewer line or the public main. WSSC Water provides sewer service in Suitland, and if sewage is coming out of a manhole or into the street, its emergency line is 301-206-4002. A plumber can check the ejector and clear or camera the private line to sort out which side the trouble is on.
What does a backup pump need here?
Battery backups sit beside the main pump and take over in an outage, with no connection to the water supply. Water-powered backups use household water pressure, so they need backflow protection; in WSSC territory, testable backflow assemblies must be tested every year by a WSSC-certified cross-connection technician, and WSSC does not do the testing itself. Replacing an existing pump generally needs no permit in Prince George's County, but new piping is a WSSC Water permit job done by a plumber registered with WSSC Water.
A local note
Attached homes and garden apartments in Suitland can share walls and sometimes drainage, so water in one lower unit may come from a neighbor's side. Renters should tell the property manager as well as calling. Homeowners should know where the pit, the breaker and the main water shutoff are before the next big storm.
Sump Pumps questions in Suitland
Will a sump pump help with water seeping through old basement walls?
What is the difference between a sump pump and a sewage ejector pump?
Why does the sump pit smell bad?
What should I do if the pit is overflowing right now?
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