Repair, replacement, battery backup, check valves, and discharge lines, by licensed plumbers who see the same spring-melt and summer-storm failures every year. Written price before the work, same-day and next-day appointments.
A.J. Alberts Plumbing provides sump pump repair, replacement, and battery backup installation for homeowners in Woodbury, the East Metro and the St. Croix Valley. With 37 years of local experience, upfront pricing, and a 4.9-star rating across 863 Google reviews, our licensed plumbers diagnose the problem and give you the price in writing before the work starts. Call 651-738-0580 to book.
A sump pump is the one appliance in an East Metro basement that has to work on the worst day of the year. A.J. Alberts plumbers repair, replace, and install sump pumps, battery backup systems, check valves, and discharge lines from our Woodbury shop across the East Metro and the St. Croix Valley. Most calls come in two waves, the March and April snowmelt and the summer thunderstorm season, and the pumps that fail in those weeks were usually showing signs for months. This page covers repair versus replacement, backup power, and the pump that will not stop running.
Stuck floats, failed switches, clogged intakes, and pumps that hum but do not move water, diagnosed at the pit and repaired when a part is the problem.
A failed or aging pump swapped for a correctly sized unit, with the check valve and discharge fitting replaced at the same time.
A second pump on a battery that carries the pit through a power outage, which is when many storm-season failures happen.
A failed check valve lets water fall back and the pump short-cycle; a frozen or crushed discharge line stops it entirely. Both are repaired and rerouted where needed.
Pits, pumps, and discharge lines for finished basements and for homes that never had one.
For homes on city water, a backup that runs on water pressure with no battery to maintain, where the plumbing and supply allow it.
Don't let plumbing issues disrupt your life. We quickly diagnose and fix the problems that cause you the most stress.
Our local technicians are ready to diagnose and fix your issue.
Call 651-738-0580The pumps we replace in April failed for the same reasons as the ones we replace in July. The snowmelt and the first spring rains raise the water table and put a pump that ran a few minutes a day in December on duty for hours at a time. Summer thunderstorms do the same thing in a few hours instead of a few weeks, and they often take the power out at the moment the pit is filling fastest. A pump that was worn, a switch that was sticking, or a check valve that was leaking back gets found out in that first week of heavy duty.
The other pattern is the discharge line. A line that runs out through the rim joist and across the lawn can freeze at the outlet in a late-March thaw-and-freeze cycle, and a pump that cannot push against a frozen line either trips or burns out. Minnesota cities generally prohibit routing sump discharge into the sanitary sewer or a floor drain; confirm your city rule before rerouting a line, or ask us to.
Most residential sump pumps last 7 to 12 years, as our sump pump guide explains, and a pump that cycles often because of a high water table or poor exterior drainage wears out faster than one that runs a few times a week. A pump under about ten years old with a failed float switch, a clogged intake, or a bad check valve is usually a repair. A pump past ten years, or one that has already failed once, is a replacement, and the check valve and the discharge fitting are replaced with it so the new pump is not short-cycling against an old valve on its first day.
Sizing is done at the pit. The plumber measures how fast water enters the pit and how high it has to be lifted to the discharge point, then matches a pump to that, with a cast iron or stainless body where the pump will run often. A written price covers the pump, the check valve, the discharge work, and the backup if you want one.
A pump that never stops is telling you one of four things. The float is stuck or set too low, so the pump runs with the pit nearly empty. The check valve has failed, so every gallon it pushes up falls back and gets pumped again. The pit is too small for the amount of water coming in, which is common in older homes with a small crock. Or there is simply that much water: downspouts discharging at the foundation, grading that slopes toward the house, or a high water table after weeks of rain.
The first two are repairs. The third and fourth are drainage and grading questions, and we say so rather than sell a bigger pump that runs constantly too. Extending downspouts and regrading are often the fix, and a second pump or a larger pit is the answer only when the water volume is genuinely beyond one pump.
Storm-season failures often happen when the power goes out, and a primary pump does nothing without it. A battery backup system is a second pump in the same pit on a deep-cycle battery, with a charger that keeps it ready and an alarm that tells you when it has had to run. It carries the pit through an outage of several hours; how long depends on how much water is entering and the battery size, which we go over before you decide. Homes with a finished basement, a history of outages, or a pump that runs daily in spring are the ones where a backup earns its keep the first time the lights go out.
We make getting service simple, transparent, and stress-free.
Reach us at 651-738-0580 or use Book Service. Tell us what the pump is doing and whether the pit is overflowing.
A licensed plumber checks the pump, float, check valve, and discharge line and measures how fast water is entering the pit.
Repair, replacement, and backup options with the price in writing before any work begins. No commissioned salespeople.
The pump is installed, the check valve and discharge are checked under load, and the plumber runs the pit through a full cycle before leaving.
We believe in honest, straightforward pricing. After diagnosing your issue, we provide a clear, upfront price before any work begins. No hidden fees, no surprises, just quality work you can trust.
Verified Google review excerpts about A.J. Alberts, shown as written and linked to the originals. These are business-wide reviews, not claims about a particular service. More reviews
"AJ Alberts is hands-down the best plumbing service in Woodbury. This was my third or fourth time working with them, and they continue to earn my complete trust. They offer highly competitive, job-based flat pricing (not hourly) and never pressure you into upsells...."
"Ryan was professional and very diligent in checking that the shower faucet was working properly after installation. He did not bolt for the door the second he finished the job. He worked clean wearing shoe protection and cleaning up everything after he finished. The price was reasonable. 1s time I have used AJ Alberts will definitely call them in the future."
"New service - AJ Alberts installed two toilets and a kitchen faucet. Kevin Lundell was wonderful to work with. His recommendations were spot on and he did a timely job of installation. Highly recommend...."
"James from AJ Alberts Plumbing was at my home to fix an overactive toilet - it wouldn't shut off. He not only fixed it quickly but also showed me what to look for in the future if the problem happens again...."
Sump pump repair and installation across Woodbury, the East Metro, and the St. Croix Valley. Pick your city for the plumber who covers it and the local notes.
Click Book Service to use our online scheduler, or call us directly for immediate assistance.
