This past weekend Chicago got "slapped" with a really bad rain storm. I had showing appointments cancel left and right because basements had flooded. I was annoyed about the cancellations until I realized exactly how much rain Chicago did receive and then my attitude went into a "quick reverse".
One of the things most homeowners do not understand that having house that has been dry but never having a sump pump is an accident/mess waiting to happen. I learned that a long time ago from my plumber, Mike Goode from Goode Plumbing here in Chicago. I met Mike at one of my client's homes a couple years back and he is my "go to" man with plumbing issues. What impressed me about him when I first met Mike, was that he brought his own front door mat, shoe covers for his and his assistants feet and he cleaned up after his work. He was polite, on time and explained what was going on with the house.
I reached out to Mike this weekend to ask him some questions about what Chicagoans could do to have prevented their basements from flooding.
His suggestions were:
- Make sure that there is a sump pump
- Have an ejector pump as well to protect the basement
- Have a backup power system just in case the power goes out. At least, it will keep the sump pump and ejector running when everything else fails.
- Make sure that your drain lines are cleared and clean
- Most importantly, make sure that your exterior walls are protected so that there will not be any seapage coming through the walls.
There are ways to protect your basement from flooding but should it happen, make sure that you have some insurance to cover the loss. One never thinks it will happen to them, until it happens.
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