Sump Pump is what I need???

Home with an exterier set of steps leeds down along side of home to a basement door. regular door not bilko. At bottom of steps is a landing measureing approx 3x4 feet. In the middle is a drain, I'm assuming to a french drain. This drain is exposed to the outside elements. It seems to blocked. How bad I dont know. If left unattended, water could raise enouf to go over the door step and seep into the basement. It is at a home That we love and this is the only issue.
My question, Is a exterier sump pump an option? What about cold weather when temps dip below freezing? Drain on landing is about 5-6' below grade. House is 46 years old in NJ What are my options to deal with this?
Bruce

Such a system should be connected to a pipe that drains somewhere to a lower level. Try cleaning out the drain and see where it runs to.

It may run out the side of a hill, or be connected to a municipal storm drain, or may be illegally connected to a sanitary sewer.

Since the house has been there for 46 years it probably needs maintenance.

Gravity is much more reliable than a sump pump. Also, power failures are often associated with storms that produce a lot of rain.

I have a very old drain like that and since my house is 50 years old it is legally (grandfathered) fed to the sewer.

My advice is to clear the drain and then cover it with a suitable grated cover to make future cleaning easier. If you have one of these it will work better than any pump ever could.

If your house is old, then you may be in luck!

I would recommend having this line jetted. These typically get a lot of dirt and snaking them is not usually effective. High pressure jetting will clean the line very well.