Row, row, row your boat gently up the stairs. Sounds ridiculous doesn’t it? But that version of the famous children’s song could have you calling a plumber to your Oakland County home if you don’t have basement sump pumps and water warning sensors. Start the new year off right and call Kotz Heating, Cooling & Plumbing to find out how we can keep your basement, and the rest of your house, dry and comfortable.
Aside from leaks or broken pipes in your plumbing system, nearly all basement flooding is caused by saturated ground. As the water table underground rises, the pressure forces water into your basement. If you’ve never had problems with a wet basement, count yourself among the lucky ones. For the rest of you, it’s a problem you have to deal with. Ignoring a wet basement can lead to things like rust, mold, rotting wood, and unhealthy indoor air quality.
One of the best solutions is a sump pump. The pump, or at least the intake, is below the concrete slab of your basement floor. When the groundwater level rises, the pump turns on and pumps the water outside through a pipe. Our Kotz plumbers in Waterford, MI will talk you through the installation process.
It’s not like you need to have six inches of water on your basement floor before you know you need a sump pump. There are some common-sense reasons why you should consider adding a pump, even if there’s no water present:
★ You just did an expensive basement renovation
- Why risk all that money you just spent turning an unfinished basement into living space? Excess water will quickly destroy or heavily damage finished floors and walls.
★ Your basement has flooded before
- If you know, or there are signs, your basement has flooded in the past, chances are good it will flood again. A sump pump can prevent that. Kotz also offers battery backup sump pumps as well.
★ You get a lot of rain and/or snow
- When you live in an area where heavy precipitation is common, chances are good it’s only a matter of time until you have water in your basement.
★ Your house is in a flood-prone area
- Builders often put homes in low-lying areas. In those situations, your basement floor could be just inches above the groundwater table. Plumbers in Michigan agree, a sump pump is the best way to control those water levels.
A complete safety system from Kotz will also include water sensors installed with the sump pump. The sensors will warn you if water is present on the basement floor. It can happen if the pump is overwhelmed or stops working. Just one more way Kotz Heating, Cooling & Plumbing has been keeping your home comfortable (and dry) since opening its doors in 1929.
