subject: Taking Care of Your Home Sump Pump [print this page] Taking Care of Your Home Sump Pump Taking Care of Your Home Sump Pump
Most homes with a basement have a home sump pump of one design or another, but homeowners tend not to think much about them until they begin to experience problems.
The sump pump's main job is to get rid of water that has collected in a sump pit or water basin so hat your home's basement doesn't get flooded. Since its function is crucial, keeping it working at all times makes sense. While there are a number of problems that can occur with a home sump pump, the majority of them are common and easily fixed with the right knowledge.
If you've had problems with a pump or simply want to know what to do should a problem ever arise, this article is here to help.
One common problem with home pumps that plug in is that they become useless in the event of a power outage. If this is a problem that you've encountered repeatedly, then you should consider switching to a model that is battery powered, as they will continue to draw water away from your basement even if the power goes out in the event of a storm. There are also plug-in versions that have batteries as backup in the event that the primary source of power fails. These are ideal for homeowners who may not always remember to change the battery in a model that only operates by battery. Alternatively, there are also water powered home sump pumps that rely on the home's pressurized water system to operate instead of an electrical power source.
Build ups of dirt, debris and compressed air can also be the sources of common problems. Like with any mechanical device where these can occur, build up can often decrease performance and make it harder for the device to move water. Fortunately, this can be remedied by a simple routine cleaning on the case of dirt. If trapped air is the culprit then making a very, very small hole in the side of the pipe leading to the check valve will make it so that air doesn't get trapped.
Regardless of what the problem causing the home sump pump to malfunction is, the results are always the same. A malfunctioning pump that doesn't draw water away from your home's basement the way that it's designed to can lead to a flooded basement.
A basement that's been completely flooded can lead to damaged or lost property and countless hours spent cleaning up and disposing of the gallons of water that have accumulated (and don't forget about all of the mold that you will have to clean up afterwards).
Having a home sump pump in place can not only save you money, but it can prevent hours of aggravation as well.
