06 Aug Have you checked your sump pump recently?

Most homes and commercial properties have at least one working sump pump in their basement. These pumps, usually in a pre-fabricated sump basin (water holding tank), are necessary when the foundation of the building is lower than the water table. Water from around your home is directed into the sump basin through perimeter drains, which may have been installed on the external or internal side of your foundation. The sumps job is to pump the water out of the basement and away from the house in order to keep your home dry, and free of mold and mildew.

We suggest checking your sump pumps functionality once a month or more if you have a pump that runs often (every five minutes or less); or every three months if your pump runs less often, or not at all. Even if your sump basin seems dry and you never hear your pump running, it is good practise to poor buckets of water into the basin and test the pump, in order to make sure it functions properly in case of a major rainfall or flash flood. This will also help prevent the impeller of the motor from seizing.

For those who have a pump that runs very often, we highly suggest the installation of an emergency back-up sump pump system. These systems will run your sump pump if the power goes out, giving you piece of mind when you’re not in the basement, or away from home. We can install alarms to let you know if your emergency pump is in use, or has been used, and even install back-up systems that run off of water pressure, if you would prefer not using a battery back-up.

At Plumbing Solutions we have extensive knowledge of sump pumps, sump basins, and emergency back-up systems. We urge you not to wait until your basement has already flooded, and to call us anytime for free advice, or have a service technician assess, install, or repair your current system.

Date: July 25, 2015

Written By: James Barclay