The First Day of Spring 2016

 

 

Hello and welcome to Spring!  Yesterday was the first day of Spring and wouldn’t you know it, we received 2-7 inches of snow throughout various parts of New England.  This new snow has all but disappeared and melted away.

Did you know that in the Spring, your basement is at a greater risk of flooding or seeping due to rain and also, due to melting snow?  Rain, and all of that melting snow will  travel along the path of least resistance along the ground.  This path often leads straight down to a home’s basement and foundation.  In the Springtime, homeowners with basements that have never had flooding or other water problems may suddenly find their basements damp or wet.  If you have a sump pump already installed, Spring is a great time to check it out.  You may wish to add “check the sump pump” to your short-list of things to do when you change the clocks for daylight savings time.

Here a few things you can do to check that your sump pump is ready for the weather:

• Water test the pump. This is the best thing you can do to make sure your sump pump is working. Simply fill up the sump pump liner with water until the pump is activated. If there are any problems check the items listed below.
• To make sure the pump has power, plug a hairdryer into the outlet that the pump is on; switch hairdryer on.
• Because the number one cause of pump failure is the float switch you should check the float switch by manually activating it.
• Make sure the check valve is not clogged or stuck.
• Check the discharge line to make sure it is not obstructed in any way.
• Test the alarms to make sure you they will sound in case of failures.

If you are noticing dampness or even seeping water in your basement, be sure to call us.  Solving basement water problems is what we do!