Sump Pump running but not pumping water

I'm having an issue with my 3 year old Barracuda sump pump running, but not emptying out the sump basin.

The pump has been running properly every couple of hours for the past 3 or 4 days (first time it has run since the weather started to warm up), but last night my wife woke me to tell me that the pump was running, but wasn't shutting off.

I checked the discharge PVC pipe outside between the house and the ground, and it was clear of water or ice. To eliminate any potential blockage in the piping underground, I left the pipe disconnected so that water should just discharge out onto the ground.

This morning I bailed out the basin, and removed the pump. I checked the pump inlet for debris - it had a minute amount of crud on the filter which I removed. I also cleaned out the built-in airlock device with a paper clip. I reinstalled the pump and poured a bucket of clean water into the basin. The pump started up, but because I hadn't re-tightened one of the clamps enough where the pump connects to the check valve, it sprang a small leak - so I assume that the pump itself is working as it should? If that's the case, the only other problems I can think of are a blockage in the copper piping between the check valve and the outside of the house, or the check valve itself? I'm pretty much a novice, so I have no idea if a check valve can go bad to the point where it doesn't allow water to flow out of it?

Anyone have any insight?

Thanks in advance.

Ian.

a blockage in the copper piping between the check valve and the outside of the house, or the check valve itself?

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I think these are the the two main possibilities you should be checking out.

If there is a blockage in the pipe, how would I go about clearing that?

The motor's running but is the impeller spinning?

Ian11275 said:

If there is a blockage in the pipe, how would I go about clearing that?

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Snake it from outside with a sewer snake or the garden hose.

Gotta figure out if it's the pump or the pipes or both.
Take the pump outside, put it in a 5-gal bucket of water, stand way back and plug it in.
Is it the pipe or the pump that is not working?

It is probably the check valve. You can try sticking something up there to try and clear it or open flap. Might just be broken and need to be replaced . I had one break once.

It was indeed the check valve.

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions.

That's an early failure for something as simple as a check valve.

Wuzzat? said:

That's an early failure for something as simple as a check valve.

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I don't recall if the check valve got replaced when the pump got replaced back in 2011. It looked pretty old.