How to Prevent Your Sump Pump Discharge Line from Freezing

Sump pumps are quite reliable during the summer. When temperatures drop to the freezing point in the winter, however, some problems may occur. The sump pump itself does not freeze; but the discharge lines are the problem. In this article we’ll show you how to prevent discharge lines from freezing, and what you should do when discharge lines actually freeze.

Discharge lines can freeze when there is not enough water flow, or when they are exposed to cold air. You can prevent freezing in different ways: by adding insulation, by digging deeper trenches for your discharge pipes, or by making sure that the water running.

It’s best to plan ahead and add protection to your discharge pipes when you are installing the sump pump. But it’s never too late to protect your sump pump before winter comes.

How can you prevent the sump pump discharger from freezing?

There’s a couple of measures you can take to make sure you’re never left with a frozen discharge line:

1. Continuous water flow

Moving water takes longer to freeze than still water. You can find frozen water at 2 locations: in your sump pit, or in your discharge lines. Water will freeze in your sump pit if your sump pump does not clean your pit completely. If your discharge lines are not on a slope, water will freeze.

When you have frozen water in your sump pit, the sump pump will suck frozen water that can clog the lines and overwork the sump pump. It’s best to get rid of that excess water in your sump pit. You can do this by changing the settings on your sump pump to increase water flow.

If your discharge lines are placed too horizontally, water will not move fast enough and clogging may occur. Putting your discharge lines on a slight slope is a very effective way to prevent freezing.

2. Protecting your discharge pipes from cold air exposure

Most often, discharge lines freeze when they are exposed directly to cold air. The best way to prevent this is by placing your discharge pipes below the frost line depth. The frost line depth differs from state to state. You can find your area’s frost line depth with a simple google search.

If you can’t dig that low, there is another solution. Simply, cover your discharge pipes with hay and tarp. This will prevent cold air from touching the pipes.

3. Adding insulation

You can effectively prevent freezing by adding insulation to your discharge pipes. There are different kinds of insulation.

The best way is to cover your pipes with thermal insulation or heat tape. You can find these at any hardware store or more convieniently just order them at Amazon (affiliate link). You can seal your insulation with duct tape.

Home-owners often recommend covering your pipes with hay and tarp. Use this only on pipes that are outside of the sump pit.

4. Buying an anti-freeze device for your sump pump

The Freeze Relief is a device that will allow the water to exit from the discharge lines if there is a frozen point. This is basically, adding another discharge line to your main discharge line. This line will allow the water to overflow if needed. This will not prevent freezing but will save your sump pump in the event of freezing, so that you won’t have to buy a new sump pump.

How to identify a frozen sump pump discharger

Most often sump pump users notice too late that the discharge lines are frozen. That is why you should always check for frozen water in your discharge line as well in your sump pit. Sump pumps give warnings that something is not right, so you should look out for those signs.

The first warning is that your sump pump is working constantly. If your discharge lines are frozen that means that water can’t get through. Your sump pit will not be emptied, and your sump pump will keep working until it’s exhausted. If you don’t fix this fast enough, your sump pump will be damaged.

Check the end of your discharge line when the sump pump is working. If water is not coming out, that means that your discharge line is frozen somewhere.

How to thaw out a frozen discharge line

Once you are sure that your discharge line is frozen, there are steps that you need to take to unfreeze it. The first thing you need to do is turn off your sump pump, it’s best to unplug it.

Now, you need to locate where the discharge line is frozen. There is no guarantee that you will locate the exact spot, but you should eliminate the important places step by step:

First, check the end of your discharge line, where it empties. If there is any ice or you think that is near the end, take a space heater and let it work for an hour. You can do this with a hairdryer, but it’s not that effective in extreme cold.

If you think the ice is not near the end, take a different action. Clean out the water in the sump pit, and detach the discharge line from the sump pump. You will try to unfreeze the line with boiling water.

Boil a large amount of water, and pour it into the disconnected discharge line. You can repeat this process until the discharge line is clear. Clean out the end of your discharge line when you are done.

Do not turn on the sump pump again until you checked for cracks in your discharge line. When your lines freeze, the water expands and may cause cracks in your pipes. If your discharge lines have cracks in them, it’s best to replace them with new lines.

Home-owners recommend buying ribbed pipes to prevent damage to pipes when they are frozen. Ribbed pipes will expand when they are frozen, instead of cracking.

Related questions

Should sump pumps be unplugged during winter?

Definitely not. Water can get through even in winter. If the ground is frozen that does not mean that your sump pit will not fill with water.

Can pipes freeze overnight?

If it is below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, it could definitely freeze.

Will frozen pipes thaw on their own?

They will when the temperature rises. However, you should never wait for your pipes to thaw on their own. Sump pumps can burn out and leave your basement defenseless against flooding.