Keep Your Basement from Flooding – Check Your Sump Pump!
Ever woke up in the middle of the night in a panic that your sump pump is going to fail? Or you lose sleep because you are constantly getting up to go downstairs to check it out.
Has your basement ever flooded? If it has, you KNOW the nightmare that it causes especially if your basement is a finished basement. Ruined carpet, flooring, furniture, drywall, personal belongings, etc. An experience you never want to go through again, I’m sure.
Here at AttaBoy, we unfortunately hear from customers all the time who thought their sump pump was fine, until we had a good hard rain, and then, the water started rising!
I remember one Fishers customer who had JUST finished their basement and was going to be installing a back-up system the following week. Unfortunately, the rain came and his sump pump gave out and his new, beautifully finished basement, electronics and all, were ruined.
What causes basements to flood? Typically it is caused by water build up in the ground that works its way into your basement. There are many ways for water to enter and many ways to prevent it from entering. A sump pump is a last defense against flooding because it pumps out water from the lowest section of the basement before the water level reaches the basement floor level. As groundwater level rises it is diverted into the sump hole. When the water reaches what is called ‘the critical level’, the sump pump begins to pump it out through a pipe that leads outside and away from your foundation.
The sump pump has recently become more important especially in newer homes since the Federal Clean Water Act no longer allows builders in many municipalities to drain rainwater collected by gutters into sewerage systems. Water collected on the roof of your home and drained by your gutters can cause flooding if it is not carried carried far enough away from your foundation.
Checking your sump pump
It is important to check your sump pump regularly to make sure that it is in proper working order.
Remove the cover and slowly pour water into the sump tank.Watch for the “float” to rise and trigger the pump.Once the pump is engaged, the water level will quickly lower and the float will shut off the pump.
Most problems are float related. If the pump does not start, the float may be hanging on something in the tank. A simple repositioning of the pump should solve the problem.
If this fails, the float may need replacement.
If the pump fails to shut off when the water level drops to the bottom of the sump tank, this indicates a new float is needed.
Of course, you call always call your local plumber, AttaBoy Plumbing, to check your sump pump and back-up system to make sure all are working properly, so you can catch all your ZZZZZZ’s.
