Your basement is the most susceptible place in your home to flooding. Unfortunately, a lot of basements experience flooding this time of year, but due to the large number of those affected by last year’s flooding, people are starting to think about the necessary precautions early on.
A basement can flood for a number of reasons, including a small crack in the foundation, malfunctioning water heaters or washing machines, and sump pump overflow or failure.
It is crucial to protect your basement from even a small amount of water because even a small leak can lead to serious foundation damage over time. It also increases your chances of mold, which can be extremely dangerous as it poses many health concerns.
Luckily, you can reduce the risk of your basement flooding with some easy steps. Be sure to do regular maintenance around your house, like cleaning the gutters and looking for cracks in your foundation. If you have any cracks, schedule them to be repaired as soon as possible.
One of the most effective ways to reduce the risk of flooding in your basement is by installing a sump pump. They do require a bit of maintenance, but other than that they are very efficient in keeping water away from your basement floors. The most common problem we see with sump pumps is they overflow, however, we have a few suggestions on how to prevent that from happening to you!
Note: A sump pump by its self will not prevent a basement from leaking water it will, however, reduce the risk of flooding.
Stay ahead of flooding this year with some quick steps to help avoid your sump pump from overflowing.
Preventing Sump Pump Overflow
Be sure to do routine checkups on your sump pump to guarantee it’s working properly. Don’t forget to unplug the sump pump before doing any maintenance.
Here are a few quick tips on how to prevent your sump pump from overflowing:
- Clean the Impeller: The impeller filters debris from the water in the pump. When the filter clogs, it will make a strange noise or cause the sump pump to stop running. Make sure you check and clean this filter to keep your sump pump running.
- Inspect Check Valve: The check valve is an important feature because it prevents the pumped-out water from coming back into the sump pump. The check valve has an arrow that should be pointing away from the sump pump when installed properly.
- Clean the Weep Hole: If your sump pump has a weep hole, it can be found between the check valve and the pump. Use a toothpick or something similar to clean the weep hole and don’t let it break off in the hole.
- Look for Debris in the Basin: Various objects and debris may fall into the basin of the sump pump and damage the float mechanism that tells the pump when to drain. You can test the float mechanism by filling the basin with water to see if the sump pump starts and drains properly. It is also possible for the float mechanism to stop working on its own.
- Have a backup pump installed: Having a battery-operated backup pump ensures that your sump pump will always continue to pump out water, even during a power outage from a big storm.
Dry Basement® Foundation Repair Can Help! We offer a sump pump maintenance service that addresses items 1 through 5 mentioned above.
Dry Basement® installs sump pumps with most basement and crawl space waterproofing systems. Our Dual Pump Pack® sump pump system keeps working when other systems fail.
We offer several options for configuring your Dual Pump Pack® with primary and secondary sump pumps, as well as with battery-operated backup pumps. The system ensures that pumps and batteries won’t fail during critical times, such as power failure, heavy storms or flooding.
The system is housed in a square basin that is installed flush with the basement floor and covered by a structural lid. This makes the pump installation almost invisible.
Contact us today to receive a free basement inspection and an estimate for a sump pump installation from your trusted foundation repair company, Dry Basement® Foundation Repair!
We serve the Kansas City, Des Moines, Wichita, & Columbia area! Click the links below to schedule your sump pump installation.
Sump Pump Installation Kansas City
Sump Pump Installation Des Moines