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
The layout is fixed at a size that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the A4 and Letter files are visually identical and print at full size on either. Rows are set at a height that an adult can actually write a date and a few words into with a pen — most printable tables are built in a word processor and never tested with one.
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
One new sheet, most weeks
We are building this library out steadily. Leave an address and we will send the new sheets as they are finished — nothing else, and no more than one email a week.
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