How to Keep a Sump Pump Exit Pipe From Freezing
- 1). Modify your landscaping so that the land around your home slopes away from the house. A sump pump exit pipe is more likely to freeze when it directs water out of the home only to have that water flow right back into the exit pipe.
- 2). Connect a freeze-resistant hose to your sump pump's exit pipe so that water will be dispelled at least 10 to 20 feet from your home, rather than near its foundation. This serves as an additional precaution to keep water from pooling up and freezing in and around your sump pump's exit pipe.
- 3). Bury as much of the sump pump's exit pipe as you can beneath the ground to deter freezing. If the piping cannot be buried, cover it with electrical tape to help the pipe maintain heat.
- 4). Use a large discharge hose. The larger the diameter of the mouth of the hose, the more easily water will be able to flow through it--and the less likely it will be to freeze.
- 5). Position your sump pump motor above the exit pipe. When water is forced to flow downhill, it has the assistance of gravity and is less likely to freeze within the pipe.
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