Sump pump fooling me - what am I missing?

[Sean Connolly]

I'm new to my house and have been trying to test my sump pump to confirm it works. I have never had a sump pump before and know little about them other than their purpose and the basics of how they work. I filled the sump pit up maybe 1/3 full with water, then watched/listened for the pump to kick on. Nothing happened, and after watching it for 5-10 minutes, I went to bed. The next morning, the pit was dry. So I filled it 1/3 full again and put a bucket underneath where the discharge pipe terminates. I checked the pit a few hours later and it was dry - but so was the bucket by the discharge pipe. I ran this test again and got the same result. So the sump pit is emptying, but apparently not through the discharge pipe. The pit is some kind of plastic and I don't see any cracks in it that the water could escape through, so where could the water be going if it's not heading out through the discharge pipe? What am I missing here? Thanks for any thoughts/advice.

 

[Twowaxhack]

Sounds like water is absorbing into the ground through a French drain system that leads into the pit or the pit itself isn’t water tight.

You’re reversing the natural process.

To test the pump fill the basin enough to make the pump activate. If it doesn’t activate then find out why.