By Matt Chandler, Master Plumber

Spring has sprung and with April showers returning and the earth thawing, ground water levels will be rising. Every spring, we see an uptick in water related basement damage. The biggest culprits are sump pumps, AND your hosebibs (spigots).

For those of you who don’t know, many homes with basements have pumps that constantly adjust the level of the ground water under your home called sump pumps. Since the wear and tear on these is pumps is unique to the demand of your home, the life span of these pumps can range from 3-6 years. If you have no clue how old your sump pump is, it’s probably time to swap it out. 

Battery backup sump pumps as well as water powered backup pumps should be checked annually. Many folks are unaware but most basic battery backup systems are supposed to have distilled water added to the battery every 90 days. In my experience I’ve maybe met one or two home owners who had actually done this. Sealed maintenance free marine batteries are the way to go for these systems long term. If you do decide to check on your battery yourself, make sure to have gloves, and face protection. Often older batteries can leak acid, and it may look like water. If you open your battery box and see liquid, assume its leaking acid and use the utmost care. This may be a time to bring in a professional.

The last springtime heads up would be to start checking on your outdoor hose bibs. You may be excited to start watering and gardening, however early spring time watering often leads to basement floods. During the colder months, people tend to forget to disconnect their hoses before the first frost. If a frost free hose bib still has the hose on it, it cannot drain. That first frost tends to cause ice damage inside the faucet as it expands. We get calls all the time from homeowners who start watering their garden, only to come back in afterwards and realize it had been spraying into their walls and basement. If there’s a split in the housing you won’t see it until the hose is pressurized. As you start using these fixtures for the season, make sure you periodically check inside for any leaks.

PlumbPRO Services is family owned and operated right in Ambler. Right now we’re offering a promotion for a $59.00 sump pump inspection. We’ll test functionality, and check connections to make sure your system is running optimally.

Give us a call or text at 484-222-0689.