Our water damage and flood restoration team at Restoration Now! Omaha want to raise awareness of a common winter problem–flooded basements due to increased snow and rainfall. This is the time of year in which you have to be especially careful, as accumulating snow and cold temperatures can lead to problems homeowners may not see right away.
If your home sits below the water table or in a natural low spot where water collects, now more than ever you need to think about the value of a sump pump. Sump pumps are used wherever basement flooding happens regularly, and they work by sending excess water away from your home to an area where it’s no longer a problem, such as a municipal storm drain.
Sump Pumps Need Maintenance
The sump pump is a reliable solution to the problem of basement flooding, but like any other appliance it needs periodic maintenance to operate efficiently. Our Restoration Now! suggests sump pump owners who live in flood-prone areas should check their systems every few months, while those who live in areas where heavy rains and flooding are more rare should perform the same maintenance steps twice a year.
Performing Maintenance on Your Sump Pump
- After a heavy rain, check the inlet screen for blockages, which may include leaves, dirt, or other debris. Blockages of this type are the leading cause of sump pump failure.
- To test whether the pump is working, fill the sump pit with water–this should trigger the system to start automatically.
- Once the pump is running, you’ll want to make sure that the pump is actually pumping water. This is an important step because sometimes the pump will turn on without water passing through it. To do it, go outside and look. If water is coming from the outlet pipe, you’re set. If not, place your hand around the pipe to check if water is flowing through it–water flowing through the pipe but not coming out signals a blockage somewhere down the pipe that needs attention.
- Make sure that the float which controls the pump is able to move freely–if it’s hung up on anything, the system won’t have an accurate reading of the water level.
- If the pump has a back-up battery, our water damage restoration team at Restoration Now! Omaha suggests that you replace it every second or third year.
Sump Pumps and Insurance
Keep in mind that if your home floods due to a sump pump malfunction, chances are high that your homeowner’s insurance policy will have a clause excluding sump pump failure. Our water damage restoration team at Restoration Now! Omaha advises you to contact your insurance agent to see if you can add this protection to your policy. It will add to the cost of your policy, but that cost will be small compared to the thousands you may pay if your pump does fail and you find that your finished basement has become a miniature Atlantis.
Contact Restoration Now! Omaha Today at (402) 502-7277!
Restoration Now! is your local flood and water damage restoration specialist! Our team hopes that you’ll consider the value of a sump pump to your flood damage prevention plan and follow a regular maintenance schedule that ensures your pump will work as it should for the life of your home. If you do find yourself in an unfortunate situation, you can rely on our Omaha Restoration Now! to clean up and restore your home to its original condition in a timely and professional manner. We offer 24/7 emergency water damage restoration service, so contact us today at (402) 502-7277 to get started putting things back where they belong!