With rain and heavy snow on the way, homeowners are being reminded to check their sump pumps.
“I’m sure we’re all going to be swamped tomorrow,” said Sam Compagnari, owner of Sam’s Sewer and Drain Cleaning.
“Oh, very busy. Very busy,” said Chad Prezzatto, field supervisor at Pro’s Plumbing and Sewer.
Sam’s Sewer and Drain Cleaning and Pro’s Plumbing and Sewer are among the mid-Michigan companies prepping for what is in store when temperatures rise by double digits Wednesday.
“This snow is going to melt very fast, then they’re talking about possible rain on top of it, that’s just going to amplify everything,” Prezzatto said.
In Saginaw, there still is a pretty significant snow cover on the ground. As soon as the temps go up Wednesday, that water could be melting down into your basement.
“Once we get a little bit of thaw and the rain starts, there’s a good possibility that the drains could start backing up, which is going to cause cause flooding in basements,” Compagnari said.
“Lots of flooded basements. People do not prepare for sump pumps, they just assume that they’re always going to work,” Prezzatto said.
Ahead of Wednesday’s thaw, there are clues that will indicate whether your sump pump is up for the job.
“Any gurgling, something like that, that’s kind of a telltale that there’s problems starting to happen,” Prezzatto said.
“If they’re spinning their washer out doing laundry and hear some gurgling in the floor drain, that’s usually a good sign, if they’re having problems flushing toilets,” Compagnari said.
Servpro warns if your basement does flood, stay away from the water.
“If you’re going in the basement and there’s a lot of water, be conscious of the fact that there could be electricity in that as well,” said Steve Taylor, business development at Servpro.
