With cold weather fast approaching, prepare your sump pump to deal with winter freezing and thawing. Inspect and clean the pump and pit. Make sure debris is not blocking the end of the drain, as water that cannot flow will quickly freeze. If you suspect water is freezing in your discharge pipes, and you have a “cleanout” cap on the exterior pipe where it exits the house, you might want to temporarily unscrew it to allow water to exit sooner (replace the cap when ice has melted).