4 Things To Do Now to Protect Your Basement from Spring Flooding
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If you live in Northern Illinois and have a basement, chances are that your home is equipped with a sump pump to protect your home from flood damage.
Until you hear it working or realize it’s not, chances are you don’t think much about this hidden but critical home appliance! When enough water collects in your sump pump’s basin, your sump pump works its magic and sends it away to a dry well or storm drain. If your sump pump fails to operate during a heavy rainfall or a time when the basin collects a lot of water, that water could rise above the pit and cause serious flooding damage.
To ensure your sump pump is operational and in peak condition for the rainy weeks ahead, we recommend that you protect your home from flood damage with routine maintenance to the sump pump.
- Clean your sump pump pit. Your sump pump pit should be cleaned on an annual basis. Be thorough in your cleaning — disconnect the pump power source, lift the pump out of the pit, and remove any water, sludge or grit from the pit using a wet shop-vac. This buildup can block water from entering the pump. Reassemble immediately.
- Check the power cord and make sure the cord is connected to power.
- Do a test run with a bucket of water. Dump a bucket of water into the sump to raise the float and make sure the pump turns on, adjusting the float if required. The pump should activate with the excess water.
- Install a battery back-up. Because sump pumps are powered by electricity, they won’t do their job during a power outage. If a power outage occurs during a heavy downpour, which is fairly common, this can be a recipe for disaster. Take a look for a battery backup for your sump pump to make sure it does its job when you need it most.
With routine maintenance and a battery back-up, most sump pumps are reliable for 15 years. If it’s time to consider a new sump pump or you aren’t comfortable with doing sump pump maintenance yourself, give Pearson a call for free estimate!
