17 Dec Important Things to know when purchasing a home with a sump pump.

Protect your Home and Valuables.
Save the headache of a messy cleanup and bad investment.

 

A Sump Pump system is a must have for many homes with Basements and Crawlspaces . When purchasing or renting a home,  the property should already come with a sump pump system.

For many Homes the Sump Pump is essentially the last line of defense against flooding and the headaches of water damage in your living spaces.

These are some of the tips you need to know when buying or renting a home with a sump pump.

1- The Sump Pumps Main Function is to Move Water Out of and Away from Your Home.

Sump Pump will spend their entire working life in the bottom of a Sump Basin – that is at the lowest part of you Home. Some Pumps will spend time submerged in water and will trigger when the float tells it that there is rising water in the Basin. 

Sump Basins are designed to handle water runoff from underneath your home and collects run-off surrounding your foundation. 

Low Lying Homes – Poor Drain Tile Design – Improper Guttering and Heavy Snow and Rains can challenge even the best Sump Pump System to its limits.

2- Foundation and Structure Damage.

Water is naturally one of the Most damaging element for your Home. Keeping water out of your Home is challenging enough without battling damage caused to your foundation wall. Always inspect the inside and outside of your foundation walls and search for where water collects around your home. 

Always check the Corners of Inside of your Basement – this is where the most pressure is aggregated and can be the first sign of Foundation damage. 

If your home sits in a Crawl space look for water entering abouve the top of fondation/footing and Under The Exterior Walls of your Home. 

3- Always check for Prior Water Damage – 

Ask the Homeowner when the Current Sump Pump was replaced and  who the Certified Plumber installed and services it. The Current Homeowner may have had Water Damage Specialists repair foundations and Drain tiles and replaced The sump system recently – This can be a Red Flag knowing that maintaining your Sump System will be priority for your entire home ownership experience. 

Finding signs of water damage is not difficult but certain signs a certainly reasons to walk a way from a Deal. Standing Water in Yard – Pooled water in a Crawl Space – Water Marks on Interior Basement Walls – Wet and Weak Floor Joists exposed in Basement – Faulty Floor Drains.

4- Sump Pumps are your Best Investment –

There is nothing worse than waking up in the morning to a destroyed basement because of sump pump failure. a Small investment ion protecting your home with a durable sump pump system can save your thousand of dollers, time and headaches.

5- Always Routinely Check and Tune Up Your Sump Pump.

Test the Pump for Correct Operation. Fill your Basin with Water and watch how it operates – Is the Pump Running Silently or laboring ? Are all of the drain lines sturdy and leak free ? Is your Check Valve working Properly. Is your Sump Pit Free of Debris ? Is your discharge line clear and free flowing. ? Can you inspect tour pump easily even in a Power Outage ?

6-  “Invest in a Battery Back -Up System.”

With Severe Rainfall there is always severe consequences. High Winds – Local Flooding – Water Run-off is problematic. Lightning Strikes and Thunder can knock out electric services and your Sump Pump Can go from a Hero to Zero immediately. 

Investing in a Battery Back up Sump Pump System can keep water damage from wrecking your Basement. These systems trigger when the Primary Sump Pump Fails for any reason. 

A Battery Back Up Can buy you valuable time while the electric service is restored. or you can replace the main pump system.

6- Watch Out for Frozen Sump Pump Discharge Lines –

Frozen Lines are problematic when there is rapid changes in temperature and water runoff creeps into your Sump Pump Basin – Clearing The Ice from the line is almost impossible and you may have to disconnect your discharge line and redirect it temporarily. 

7- Keep your Discharge Lines and Drain tile Unclogged.

Discharge Lines and Drain Tile Systems over time can become clogged and Damaged with Soil Shifting. Pooling Water in your Yard is a Red Flag that there is a problem. 

8- Never Point Discharge lines into Septic Lines or Septic Field.

If the property uses a Septic System – Pointing a sump Pump discharge line towards it or into it will drastically reduce its usable life and create huge problems. If the property you are considering it set up like this – Consult professionals before considering and reroute discharge lines if possible immediately.

These points are just a few items to keep you aware of some of the key points when investing in your Home to purchase or to rent.

Keeping Your Basement is important to your every day well being and relieving yourself of the headaches that come from Water Damage to Your Property and Home is simple as a fully functioning dependable Sump Pump System.