Spring is here… Are you ready for the melting snow?

Spring is here with longer days, more sunshine, warmer weather and all that winter’s snow will finally melt.  Add a few spring showers and if you haven’t checked recently, you could have a mess on your hands. This time of year you can expect some  basement flooding as the water table runs higher. If your sump-pump is working correctly, you should be able to keep your basement dry, clean, and mold-free. Here are a few tips to make sure that your sump pump is operating correctly before your basement floods.

Is your Sump Pump Plugged In?

Did someone unplug the sump pump to plug something else in? Double check that the pump is plugged into a ground fault circuit interrupter outlet and that the cord is not frayed or cracked. You would feel quite foolish if your basement flooded just because your pump was not plugged in!

Is your Sump Pump Positioned Correctly?

When a sump pump is operating, it will frequently vibrate and jiggle. The vibration can cause it to fall over and due to their design, will only work properly when the Sump Pump are upright. Check that your pump is oriented properly on its base.

Is your Sump Pump Clear of Debris?

Take a good look at the bottom of your pump and make sure it is free of debris. Sometimes, small bits of gravel can be sucked into the pump and can block the grate. Simply removing the gravel can improve the performance of the pump and keep it from being damaged.

Is your Sump Pump Operating Correctly?

If there is no water in the pit, pour a few buckets of water into the pit and see what happens. If your pump is operating properly, it should switch on and start pumping the water out of the pit. If not, check for a simple problem, like the float arm being improperly adjusted or something else minor and obvious. If you can’t see the problem, call a technician to have it serviced.

Now is a good time to check to see if your sump pump is working and these small maintenance tasks will take you less than an hour to perform. Be sure that you tackle them before spring rains and snow-melt flood your basement.