Sump Pump Monitor for Home Assistant

A complete Home Assistant monitoring package for sump pumps that uses power consumption to detect pump activity, track run intervals, and send intelligent push notifications when something changes or the pump stops running.

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Features

• Excessive runtime detection — alerts if a single pump run exceeds a configurable threshold, indicating a possible stuck float switch or pump problem
• Interval change detection — alerts when the sump run interval changes suddenly by more than 25%, indicating a possible problem
• Adaptive watchdog — automatically tightens during high-frequency cycling (heavy rain) and relaxes as conditions normalize over days; alerts if the pump goes unexpectedly silent
• Power sensor monitoring — detects when the power sensor itself goes offline and suppresses false alarms during outages
• Spring startup notification — sends a friendly "Sump Resumed" message after winter inactivity instead of a misleading large-percentage-change alert
• Human-readable display sensors — formatted HH:MM and N days, HH:MM sensors for use in dashboards and badges
• Fully tunable — watchdog sensitivity controlled by three sliders, no YAML editing required after install

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How It Works

The system uses a power monitoring sensor on the sump pump circuit as its primary signal. When the sensor exceeds a configurable wattage threshold, the sump is considered to be running.

Four automations work together:

1. Sump Pump Interval Monitor

Fires on every sump run. Tracks the time since the last run, stores it as the current interval, and alerts if the interval changes by more than 25% — a sign of an unexpected change in conditions. After a long winter absence, sends a "Sump Pump Resumed" notification instead.

2. Sump Pump Not Running Alert

After each sump run, sets a watchdog timer to:

min( max( rolling_avg × multiplier, min_minutes ), max_minutes )

If the timer expires before the next run, an alert fires. The rolling average of the last 5 intervals means the watchdog naturally tracks the current cycling pattern — tight during rain, relaxed during dry periods.

3. Sump Power Sensor Unavailable Alert

Watches the power sensor for unavailable or unknown states. If the sensor goes offline for more than 2 minutes, cancels the watchdog timer (preventing false alarms) and sends an alert. Sends a recovery notification and restarts the watchdog when the sensor comes back.

4. Sump Pump Excessive Runtime Alert

Records the start time when the sump begins running. When it stops, calculates run duration and alerts if it exceeded input_number.sump_max_run_seconds (default 30s). A stuck float switch or failing pump will often cause an unusually long run before stalling.

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Requirements

• Home Assistant 2024.1 or later
• A power monitoring sensor on the sump pump circuit reporting wattage (e.g. Emporia Vue, Shelly EM, Z-Wave power meter, smart plug with power monitoring)
• Home Assistant companion app installed on a mobile device for push notifications

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Files

File	Description
helpers.yaml	All required helpers — input_datetime, input_number, counter, timer, template sensors
statistics_sensor.yaml	Instructions for the rolling average statistics sensor (UI-only creation)
automations.yaml	All four automations with customization markers
INSTALL.md	Full step-by-step installation and customization guide

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Quick Start

1. Identify your sump power sensor entity ID and the wattage it reads when the pump is running
2. Add helpers from helpers.yaml to your HA config (or create via UI)
3. Create the rolling average statistics sensor via the HA UI (see statistics_sensor.yaml)
4. Add automations from automations.yaml to your HA config
5. Replace the three placeholder values marked # <<< CONFIGURE throughout automations.yaml:
   • sensor.sump_power_electric_consumption_w → your power sensor entity ID
   • 50 (wattage threshold) → your pump's running wattage threshold
   • notify.mobile_your_device → your notification service

See INSTALL.md for the full guide including tuning, seasonal operation, and troubleshooting.

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Tuning

Three input_number helpers control watchdog sensitivity. Add them as sliders to any dashboard for easy adjustment — no YAML editing required.

Helper	Default	Purpose
input_number.sump_alert_multiplier	2.5×	How many times the rolling average interval to wait before alerting
input_number.sump_alert_min_minutes	30 min	Minimum watchdog duration — floor during heavy rain cycling
input_number.sump_alert_max_minutes	240 min	Maximum watchdog duration — ceiling and fallback when no history exists
input_number.sump_max_run_seconds	30s	Maximum single run duration before excessive runtime alert fires

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Seasonal Operation

Season	Action
Spring	Enable automation.sump_pump_not_running_alert
Summer / Fall	All automations run year-round, no intervention needed
Winter	Disable automation.sump_pump_not_running_alert to prevent repeated alerts

The Interval Monitor, Sensor Unavailable, and Excessive Runtime automations can remain enabled year-round.

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Post-Rain Behavior

The sump naturally cycles frequently during heavy rain and slows over days/weeks as the water table drops. The rolling average tracks this gradual change so the watchdog extends naturally — it will not false-alert during a normal post-rain slowdown. Only a sudden unexpected stop against the current baseline triggers an alert.

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Notifications

Scenario	Notification
Interval changed suddenly	"Sump Pump Interval Changed — changed by 32.4%. Previous: 35 min, Current: 46 min."
Pump stopped running	"⚠️ Sump Pump May Not Be Running — No activity for 94 min. Last interval: 37 min."
Excessive single run	"⚠️ Sump Pump Excessive Runtime — Sump ran for 47.3 seconds (threshold: 30s). Possible pump or float switch issue."
Power sensor offline	"⚠️ Sump Power Sensor Offline — monitoring inactive until recovered."
Power sensor recovered	"✅ Sump Power Sensor Back Online — monitoring resumed."
Spring startup	"Sump Pump Resumed — first run in 1,127 hours. Monitoring is now active."

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License

MIT — free to use, modify, and share.