Look at your Sump Pump To Avoid Costly Basement Flooding

As winter gives in order to spring, the threat of water flooding your basement substantially increases. So says Chris O'Donohue, water damage specialist and owner of Advantage Restoration and Cleaning Services, located in Pinckney, Mich.
'Most people believe if the snow melts how the threat of basement flooding goes away,' explains O'Donohue. 'But snow usually is not the issue; it's the involving the frozen ground thawing around the foundation belonging to the home and the arrival of heavy spring rains that cause problems.'
'As the soil thaws it is overly saturated with water. When a spring rain adds another inch or two on top of it the water finds the easiest path circulation. This is usually along your home's foundation down on the basement level and for the sump pump basin. If your sump pump fails, you'll have a major water damage problem on your hands.'
'Sump pump failure is one among the most common causes for basement water damage in and around Livingston County,' says O'Donohue. 'The number of calls we receive for basement water damage clean up explodes when spring arrives. And many of the time root is a sump pump problem. We've been called to homes with beautiful finished basements that have been filled with 4 inches of water. It's a heartbreaking site that is very expensive to fix.'
A sump pump is a last defense against flooding because it pumps out water from the lowest section of the basement before the water level reaches the basement floor level. As groundwater levels rise it is diverted into the sump predicament. When the water reaches what is considered 'the critical level', the sump pump begins to pump it out through a pipe that leads outside and away from your foundation.
Just a few inches of water in a basement can cause tens of thousands of dollars in damage. According for the Insurance Information Institute, water damage including sump pump overflow, frozen, burst pipes has accounted for roughly 22 percent just about all residential insurance an incident. The average claim was for $5,531. However, most householders often overlook this on their policy and don't have protection against such damage.
'The inability regarding your sump pump to address runoff water from major downpours is not covered under the same homeowner's insurance policy, nor are they covered by flood insurance,' said David Walker with Hartland Insurance Agency. 'This type of coverage must be purchased either as an outside product or as an endorsement to a homeowner's policy.'
A standard homeowner's policy will canrrrt you create coverage for a sump pump, or any existing drainage system. This a new back up through any drain, sink discharge, toilet, or sump pump loser. According to the Chubb Insurance Group, 37% of householders have experience some type of home water damage and mold and 51% say their losses aren't covered by their insurance policy.
The average lifespan of a sump pump is about 10 years, and they do eventually break-down. But, most sump pump problems can be ignored by a few regular maintenance checks and can easily be fixed by the homeowner. Here's a subscriber list of common sump pump problems and solutions for each. Before performing any sump pump maintenance, be specific to unplug any source of electricity leading to the unit.
'If more people would maintain their sump pumps like they do their automobile, they conserve you a lot of money and stress,' claims O'Donohue. 'A water damage restoration situation can really turn the lives of a family upside-down for a couple weeks. Preventing the condition by checking the condition of their sump pump should be on their spring to-do list year in year out.'