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CINCINNATI SUMP PUMP

Spring is coming. That means rain, rain, rain. If you have a basement you may be at risk for flooding. Right now is a good time to check your Cincinnati sump pump and make sure it is in good working order before you have a flood.

Most homes in Cincinnati that have a basement have a sump pit and a sump pump inside the pit. Why do you have a sump pump? Well.. your basement is underground, right? The earth around your basement walls acts much like a sponge. During the heavy spring rains, the ground soaks up all the water. This water needs to go somewhere. It creates hydro-static pressure on the walls of your basement. This pressure needs to be relieved, or it will crack the walls and floors of your basement. A sump pit is there to relieve that pressure. The pit is installed below the floor of your basement and it has holes in it to allow water to weep into this low spot. Most pits also have a pipe coming into the side of it. This pipe is the end point of a pipe that runs around the outside of your foundation. It is called footer tile. The footer tile picks up water that is pooling around your foundation and directs it into the sump pit.

Now that you have all this water in a pit, it has to go somewhere right? Otherwise your basement begins to fill up quickly. That is where your sump pump comes into play. It is an electric device that pumps the water out of the sump pit and out away from your home. The sump pump has a float that rises as the water comes up into the sump pit. Once the float reaches a certain level it switches the pump on. As the sump pump transfers the water out of the pit the float drops and shuts the sump pump motor off. Pretty straight forward design that runs on it’s own without much help from the homeowner when everything is working right.

As we head into the spring in Cincinnati we will get lots and lots of rain. Every spring Best Plumbing gets “flooded” with calls from customers that have a flooded basement from a failed sump pump. Now is the time to make sure your sump pump is working correctly. Open the lid to the pit and make sure the intake of the pump is free of debris. Clean the bottom of the sump pit. Check the float and make sure that the motor switches on when the float ball rises. Make sure the check valve on the outlet of the sump pump is working correctly. Check the discharge of the sump pump and make sure it is flowing freely and far enough away from the foundation so that the water does not short cycle and end up back in the sump pit loop.

As always, Best Plumbing Service is here to help. If you are having problems with your sump pump, or would just like the peace of mind of having one of our licensed plumbers check your sump pump out just give us a call. Remember….Make the BEST choice! Call Best Plumbing for all your Cincinnati sump pump needs!

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