Winterising Your House and Outbuildings
Frost damage is a drainage problem more than an insulation problem. What to drain, what to isolate, and how to leave a property that will not burst.
Guide
Home systems · HS-07
Sump Pump Test Log
A free printable sump pump test log — monthly test runs, discharge checks and backup pump and battery testing.
Download Free · no sign-up
One page. Choose your paper size — both versions are laid out identically, so neither one gets shrunk to fit.
Print it and write on it
Fill it in type and save
The fillable versions have real form fields — open them in any PDF reader, type into them and save. Printing help.
What this sheet is for
Prove the pump still works before the water arrives, including the backup that nobody ever tests.
Who it is for
Anyone with a sump pump, a basement, or a property with a history of groundwater.
How to use it
- Pour water into the pit until the float lifts — the pump should start, clear the pit and stop cleanly.
- Check the discharge actually runs away outside and is not blocked or frozen.
- Test the backup pump separately, on battery.
- Record every test, including the ones where nothing happened.
What is on the sheet
One page, top to bottom:
Printed under the title: A test record for a sump pump. A pump that has not been tested since last winter is not a pump, it is a hope.
How to use this sheet
- Pour a bucket of water into the pit until the float lifts. The pump should start, clear the pit and stop cleanly.
- Check the discharge actually runs outside and is not frozen, blocked or draining back.
- Test the backup pump and its battery separately — that is the one that matters.
Write-on lines: Location · Pump make & model · Installed · Backup type · Battery fitted
Table, 13 rows: Date · Pump ran · Pit cleared · Discharge clear · Backup tested · Battery · Notes
Ruled lines: Notes and anything specific to yours
Questions
How often should I test it?
Monthly is a common recommendation, and more often before a wet season. The important thing is that it is tested at all — most failures are discovered during the flood.
Read next
Related sheets
Autumn and Winter Home Checklist
Get ahead of the cold, so a frost or a storm does not turn into a burst pipe or a heating failure on the coldest night of the year.
PR-09 2 pages
Home Service History Register
Keep one continuous record of everything that has been serviced, repaired or replaced, so the history of the building exists in one place rather than in a drawer of loose invoices.
PR-02 1 page
Also in the resources library
The same subject, with a version you can fill in on screen.
Flood and Storm Preparation Checklist
Which documents, references and numbers are written down and where.
SF-493 Checklist PDF Online
