Sump pump: what to check, and the aid for a battery-backed pump
Every spring, the Société d’habitation du Québec has its maintenance staff check the sump pits in its buildings. Here is what its list contains, and Québec’s aid for a battery-backed pump.
Updated
What the SHQ has checked, and when
The Société d’habitation du Québec publishes, for the preventive maintenance of its buildings, an inspection sequence for indoor sump pits. It schedules it in April, in the plumbing group, and assigns it to the maintenance attendant, with a specialist where needed. The tools required are simple: a set of screwdrivers, a shovel and a garden hose.
This list is written for the maintenance staff of its buildings, not for a homeowner. Some points apply only to installations that have them, such as the alarm or the control panel. The points it has checked, in the order of the sequence:
1. The pit
Check that liquids drain properly and remove debris — sand, soil and the like; clean the pit and the discharge piping with a garden hose, or an industrial vacuum if needed.
2. The cover and walls
Check that the pit sits level with the floor, that it is watertight, that the cover is solid on its base and that the walls show no cracks.
3. The floats
Run the pump by operating the floats by hand, adjust their level if needed and have any abnormal noise corrected.
4. The alarm
If the pump has one: check that the high-water alarm goes off and, where there is one, that the control panel lights work.
5. The discharge piping
Check that it is secured and drains, that the check valve is tight, retighten the pipe clamps as needed and clean the screen on the intake.
6. The fittings and switch
Check the fasteners, the fittings and that the switch is “On”; have any loose or faulty part replaced.
The battery-backed pump: Rénoclimat’s aid
The Adaptation component of the Rénoclimat program, in force since 1 October 2026, funds among its simple works the installation of a battery-backed sump pump. The participant guide sets several conditions, and the order of the steps matters: the full conditions and the steps, in order, are in the subsidy article linked at the bottom of this page. Read the guide as well before having the work done.
The main conditions:
- Up to $1,000 for the battery-backed sump pump.
- Principal residence — not a cottage or second home — built and lived in for at least five years.
- Work done from 1 October 2026 by a contractor holding the appropriate RBQ licence; work done by the owners themselves is excluded.
- Québec’s aid cannot be combined with municipal aid.
- Apply within 12 months of the end of the work, and before 31 March 2029.
What your municipality may require
In La Prairie, article 28 of construction by-law 1248, since its June 2020 amendment, requires a sump pit with a pump for new buildings and for existing buildings whose basement is below street level; the latter had until 28 January 2022 to comply.
Requirements vary from town to town; the subsidy article linked at the bottom of this page covers them town by town. Check with your municipality before planning the work.