If the rain has your basement underwater, it’s time to check your sump pump.
Although not every home needs a sump pump, but they can prevent potential basement flooding and costly water damage.
The Purpose of Sump Pumps
- Rain or natural ground water can enter your home through a perimeter drain. This water can fill a pit in your basement, and your sump pump works to remove water by pumping it.
- A sump pump is usually required in homes that have space below ground level, such as a basement or a crawlspace. Without a sump pump, this space typically floods when it rains heavily. Your sump pump can help prevent this flooding by pumping water out before it reaches the top of the sump pit.
- Every sump pump eventually fails at some point in its lifetime. For example, if your power goes out, your sump pump won’t work. This is why we recommend having a battery-powered backup sump pump in addition to your primary sump pump. This can help prevent flooding in your home if there is a heavy storm and you lose power.
- You can test that your sump pump is working correctly by dumping water in it. You can hear the pump kick on and begin pumping out water. It’s always a good idea to check that your sump pump is working in the spring before the heavy rains to prevent your basement from flooding.