Deck stain, actually, 100% acrylic latex. Not even sure how much spilled in there, but I’d say maybe a quart. Haven’t had a need to run the pump (no rain in a while, none forecast 'til Wednesday), so I don’t think that very much has gotten in the pump itself. Just not sure what to do next. Remove pump and manually bail the thing out, then let it dry? Then dilute and pump? Lift pump off bottom and pump surface water? There’s about six inches of water down there right now. Or will I be replacing the pump?
remove pump, wipe pump, manually move parts to keep free
bail sump, wipe if possible, let dry in sump,
would be my idea
Depends on the deck stain. Some are as simple as wax dissoved in alcohol. For that manually clean out the basin. Flush it out by running the sump with lots of hot (not boiling water). If it contains urethane or similar substances, add some detergent to the hot water, and keep your fingers crossed. Reminds me to get to the hardware store. You and I should already have the replacement pump on the shelf instead of waiting for the old one to fail. Scientifically proven fact: Sump pumps only fail in the middle of the night on a holiday weekend.
…when you’re out of town.
I guess the replacement is a good idea, even though this one is only a couple of years old.