Flooding is anticipated this weekend as we are going to reach record highs of plus 10 – that means all that snow is going to melt really fast flooding basements in the process.
If you have a sump pump – today is a great day to test it before it becomes a critical problem.
A sump pump simply removes any excess water around your foundation that tries to seep into your basement and pumps that water away from your house. If you have a sump pump it will either be in an open pit or it will have a cover on it (see image below)
Testing a sump pump is easy (no special skills required) and only takes a few minutes.
If your sump pit has a cover – remove the cover first.
Look inside the pit (you may need a flashlight) and make sure there isn’t any debris (lint, pet hair, trash) that could get sucked up into the pump and remove any debris before testing. If the pit is completely dry you can pass the vacuum in it (WARNING: don’t use a vacuum if there is any water in the pit – if wet simply scoop out the debris and discard).
The sump pump has a float connected to it that rises when the water level goes up – when the float rises it causes the pump to turn on (similar to the float in your toilet that tells the toilet to stop filling up only this one turns the pump on when the water level is too high). To test that it is working we are going to add water.
Get a bucket of water and start pouring the water slowly into the pit (approximately 20 litres of water). When you get enough water in the pit for the float to rise the pump should start. If you don’t hear anything and the water has filled the pit – you know your pump is not working properly (its time to call for professional help).
If the pump comes on wait to see that it drains the pit and turns itself back off afterwards.
We do recommend that you perform this test a 2nd time just to confirm it works properly twice in a row. It’s just that easy.
Please note that if you live in an area that experiences power outages when storms hit you may want to consider a battery backup sump pump that works when the power goes out. If you would like a free quote just let us know.
Thanks for taking the time to read my blog – I really appreciate having you as my neighbour!
– Kay
