Pump Replacement
A failed pump is usually discovered at the worst moment, because you find out when whatever it was moving stops moving. Replacement is a good time to correct whatever shortened the last one's life.
Pump Replacement
When to call
What usually brings people to this
A lot of the housing out here went up between the 1950s and the 1970s, which means cast-iron sewer laterals and galvanized supply lines that are well past their design life.
These are the symptoms that usually prompt the call. Any one of them is worth a conversation, and most of them get cheaper to deal with the earlier they are looked at.
A pump that will not run
A pump running constantly without keeping up
An alarm sounding
Noise or vibration from the pump
Repeated failures of the same unit
Ignoring an early symptom does not save money. It moves the spending to a worse moment and adds restoration work to it.
How we work it
Once we know what we are looking at, you get the options in plain language and the quote before anything starts.
Confirm it is the pump
Float, check valve, power and controls fail too and are cheaper to fix.
Work out why it failed
A pump that failed early failed for a reason, and replacing it without addressing that repeats the outcome.
Size the replacement properly
Correcting an undersized or wrong-type pump is the point of the exercise.
Install and test
New floats and check valve as needed, run through real cycles.
Worth knowingWhat pump replacement actually involves
Quotes are free and they are specific. A number with no explanation behind it is not much use to anybody.
Before replacing a pump it is worth confirming that the pump is what failed. Floats stick, check valves fail, breakers trip and control panels fault, and every one of those presents as a pump that will not run. They are also far cheaper to fix. We check those before recommending a replacement, because replacing a working pump does not solve anything.
We carry what it takes to finish the common jobs in one visit, because a return trip costs you time you did not plan to spend.
We are based in Yucaipa and work outward across San Bernardino County, Riverside County and the eastern edge of Los Angeles County. If you are outside the usual radius, call and ask. We cover more ground than most shops our size.
Once we know what we are looking at, you get the options in plain language and the quote before anything starts.
Keeping it from happening again
Ignoring an early symptom does not save money. It moves the spending to a worse moment and adds restoration work to it.
Watch your water bill. A bill that climbs without a change in habits is often the only warning a hidden leak will give you before the damage shows.
If you have had a line cleared more than once, ask for a camera inspection rather than a third clearing. Repeated blockages nearly always have a physical cause worth finding.
Wipes should not go down any drain, whether the packet says flushable or not. They do not break down, and they are behind a large share of the main line blockages we clear.
If a drain has slowed, deal with it while it is slow. A slow drain is a partial blockage announcing itself, and it will finish the job eventually at a less convenient moment.
Who you are calling
Emergency work does not wait behind routine work. We keep the schedule loose enough to absorb the calls that cannot wait.
We are veteran-founded and family-run, which in day-to-day terms means the accountability is personal. There is nowhere for a bad job to hide in a company with your father's name on it.
We are set up so that a job involving the house, the tank and the ground between them is handled by one company under one set of licenses.
Big Mike started this shop in 1982 and handed it to his kids because he trusted them to run it the same way. That is still who answers the phone.
Big Mike's · Yucaipa, California
Questions we get about pump replacement
If yours is not here, call and ask. We would rather talk it through than have you guess.
Why did my pump fail early?
Usually wrong sizing, poor float setup causing constant cycling, or the wrong type for what it is moving.
Can it be repaired instead?
Sometimes the fault is the float, check valve or controls rather than the pump, and that is much cheaper. We check before recommending replacement.
How quickly can it be replaced?
Usually same day for common types. A sewage ejector failure is treated as urgent.
Should the check valve be replaced too?
Usually yes. A failed check valve lets discharge run back and makes any pump cycle more than it should.
How do I know it is an emergency?
If it is actively causing damage or has made the property unusable, treat it as one and call. Water through a ceiling, sewage backing up and any gas smell all qualify.
What should I do before you arrive?
Know where your main water shutoff is and whether it turns. Clear access to the work area. If you smell gas, leave the building and call from outside.
Do you work with contractors and property managers?
Regularly. We coordinate around construction schedules, tenant access and operating hours as a matter of course.
How long have you been in business?
Since 1982. Big Mike founded the company and handed it to his family, who run it now. That is forty-four years in the same valley under the same name.
How this fits the rest of the system
Properties on septic in this area range from carefully documented systems to ones nobody has looked at in thirty years. If records exist, county files usually have the original permit with tank size and location. If they do not, locating the components is straightforward work and worth doing before there is a problem rather than during one.
Before we come out
Knowing the age of the house and roughly when the plumbing was last worked on narrows what we are looking for.
The service area reflects where our customers actually are. It has widened steadily since 1982 and it keeps widening for the same reason it always has.
Related work and where we do it
Other septic and underground work
- Septic Tank Installation
New tanks and full system installs.
- Septic Inspection
Camera and condition inspections of the system.
- Grease Trap Repair
Failed lids, baffles and inlet lines.
- Grease Trap Cleaning
Scheduled pump-outs and full cleaning.
- Grease Traps
Commercial kitchen grease interceptors.
- Septic Tank Pumping
Routine pump-outs and full tanks.
Where we go
We run pump replacement out of Yucaipa across Victorville, Fontana, Ontario, Jurupa Valley, Riverside, Rialto and Claremont, and the rest of San Bernardino, Riverside and the eastern edge of Los Angeles County.
Call the shop. A person picks up.
Tell us what it is doing and we will tell you what it takes to fix it. Plain language, no sales pitch, and the number before we start.
Yucaipa, California · Serving San Bernardino, Riverside and eastern Los Angeles counties · Open 24 hours