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103 Degree Water in Sump Pit
I looked at a house yesterday for a buddy who is buying. The basement has an aftermarket water control system installed (trough and sump pit with pump exhausting to exterior). Since the pit cover was bolted in place, I only had a silver-dollar size hole to look through. When I looked in the hole, warm steam came out. I shined my light in to see the pump and float switch completely submerged by about 3-4 inches and water circulating in the pit. My laser thermometer registered a temp of 103 degrees for the water in the pit. It was 17 degrees outside and I was scratching my head. After looking again at the exterior discharge line for the pit, there was no water or ice around the end of the pipe and it appeared free of obstructions. My final conclusion is that something in the discharge line like the check valve is defective or blocked, the pump has been running non-stop because the float switch is up, and the heat generated by the pump heated the water. No other lines could be seen entering the pit that could possibly make the water that warm.
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