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It wasn’t that long ago that the Cleveland, TN area was hit by flash flooding and homeowners’ basements suffered from water damage. If you’re using your basement as a living area, storage for important documents or memorabilia, or as a home theater, the next round of floods could be costly. If you’ve remodeled your basement and invested in floors, rugs, furniture, and more, you definitely need protection, too. Ensuring that your foundation is solid is one important way to make sure that flood water won’t intrude. The other is making sure you have one or more functional sump pumps at the ready, standing at attention in case the water rises again. Our sump pump services team can help make sure that you’re protected, and that your sump pump is ready to respond in a flooding emergency.
Do You Have Sumps to Pump?
It’s not a problem if you don’t even have a sump pump or a place to put it at the moment. Our sump pump services team can cut one or more sumps into your concrete floor and install pumps so you’ll be ready. We can even add pumps after your basement has been finished, running power and providing a decorative enclosure for each one. If you’re already in the process of designing your space, talk with our sump pump services experts about how to leave space behind the wall for sump pumps and you won’t even know they’re there until they save the day when the water rises.
Making Sure Your Discharge Gets Water Away from the Foundation
A classic problem with sump pumps is that the discharge pipe gets disconnected and water pumped from your basement splashes out of the wall of your house and right next to your foundation. When it lands close to your wall, it proceeds to percolate down and right into the water table by your foundation, where it adds to the problem once again. Our sump pump services team will make sure that your existing discharge pipe is present and effective, and will design any additional pumps with discharge pipes that lead far enough away from your foundation to keep your basement as dry as possible.
More Than One Sump Pump?
Our sump pump services experts can tell you: there are three great reasons to have at least two sump pumps. One is so you’ll have a backup pump in case one fails. Remember, they’ve been sitting unused, possibly even for years, so there’s a chance of problems. Our sump pump services team provides maintenance to help avoid unexpected failures like that. The second reason to have two or more is capacity because sometimes the water rises faster at some point in the flooding process and one pump may not be enough. The third is the distribution of water removal. The pressure of the water table on your foundation, when uneven because it’s being pumped out on one side, can cause cracks and damage to the cement foundation. By pumping in multiple locations, the water table pressure is kept more balanced.
What If the Power Fails?
We’re glad you asked! A lot of people don’t think about how the storms that bring heavy rains and flooding often knock out the power. That leaves sump pumps offline, ready to serve once the power returns but in the meantime, not so helpful. A battery-based power supply designed by our sump pump services team for sump pump use is a great option. That’s especially true for homeowners whose risk of flooding is high, such as in lower elevations or near bodies of water, or who live in locations where the power often fails during storms. Of course, if your home has other backup power supplies such as a generator system, your pumps’ power needs may be covered by those as well.
Sump Pump Maintenance and Repair
As with backup generators, sump pump systems need to be maintained and tested periodically to ensure that they’re ready to respond when needed. Our sump pump services team will check your pumps and make sure they are functioning correctly, moving the volume of water they are supposed to and starting when the water level rises as expected. Our people will also check your sumps for debris and obstructions, making sure that nothing will disrupt the flow of water into and out of the pump when it’s operating. The team will make sure that your discharge pipes are clear, especially at the far end, and angled downward for best flow into an area where the water won’t cause damage, preferably a landscaped area or grass. Finally, they’ll check the electrical supply and make sure the breakers are on and battery backup is functioning, and they’ll perform any maintenance that your pumps need, or replace them if problems are found.
Sump Pumps Protect Your Basement from Any Floods, Including Plumbing
There are a lot of pipes that travel through your basement, and it’s always possible that one of them could spring a leak, your hot water heater tank could burst, or another major source of water could threaten your basement from inside. Your sump pumps are ready to serve, providing an easy exit for rising waters in your basement to drain into and be pumped out rather than slowly causing further damage and even electrical risk, especially if flooding is unnoticed.
Your Plumbing and Sump Pump Experts
Your sump pump system is a carefully designed protection for your basement and your home. You can rely on the sump pump services of Metro Plumbing, Heating, Air and Septic serving Cleveland, TN to keep your system maintained and ready to respond, including pump repairs and replacement if needed. It’s peace of mind that can help you enjoy your home and know that you are prepared the next time the floodwaters rise here in Cleveland, TN. Give us a call to check your current sump pump system and make recommendations for proper protection.
