Many believe that Sump pumps are simply accidents waiting to happen. The integrity of your home and health of your family depends on the consistent operation of this machine, and a sump pump’s consistent operation depends on the integrity of it’s weakest parts. Sometimes it’s mechanical failures, sometimes it’s power outages, but all it takes is a Sump Pump quitting for a short period of time to suffer massive consequences. Learn what these consequences are, and how to deal with them, with Enviropure.

Ottawa Sump Pumps

Most think that sump pumps are simple pumps designed to take water from your basement out of your basement. While in a certain sense this is true, this description is misleading.

While the job of a sump pump is to keep your basement dry, it doesn’t accomplish this by removing it from your basement itself. Sump pumps work by taking the moisture from the soil under and around your basement, and moving it elsewhere.

Sump pumps are installed when a building’s foundation goes below the water line. Either very low basements or very high water lines necessitate their use, as without them, this moisture will penetrate a foundation’s concrete. Moisture in dark, cool spaces is the perfect recipe for mold, and so sump-pumps are installed as a preventative measure against mold growth.

What Happens When Sump Pumps Fail?

The moment your sump-pump fails, you have lost your only line of defense against the water surrounding your foundation, and it will start to make it’s way through your foundation and into your basement. Depending on the season, climate, recent weather, depth of the water-line, etc. this process can take significant time, or very little. In either case, homeowners are generally surprised by sump-pump failures. Either moisture creeps imperceptibly into your basement over a long period of time, or suddenly you come home to find your basement flooded with water!

Regardless of the consequences of a sump-pump failure, its always a hassle to deal with. You have to go about getting your sump-pump working again, wait for it to bring moisture levels back to normal, and then assess the damage this moisture has wrought on your basement. Sometimes you’re forced to reckon with rotted wood and ruined furniture, but almost always, sump pump failures mean mold.

To many Ottawa homeowners, the scope of work required of a sump-pump failure (coupled with surprise!), is daunting. With a little education concerning how to prevent and address them, you can avoid much the stress and hassle of sump pump failures. Learn how from the experts with Ottawa’s Enviropure.

Dealing With Mold – Advice From the Experts

When it comes to mold, there is simply no substitute for prevention, but sometimes even the best preventative measures aren’t enough. Because of this, the best strategy for dealing with mold combines both approaches to preventing and managing mold caused by sump pump failures. Consider these tips from Enviropure:

Prevention

• Regular Maintenance

Your sump pump is only as strong as its weakest critical component, which is why it’s good practice to ensure that your sump-pump is regularly and consistently maintained. When is the last time you had your pump inspected? If you can’t remember, it’d likely be a good idea to have it serviced as soon as possible. Service technicians will not only allow you to rest easy knowing your pump is in good working order, but can identify any potential future problems, exposing you to preventative measures to avoid them and costly repairs.

• Backup Generator

If the power in your home goes out, will your sump-pump go with it? If your sump-pump is not hooked up to a generator, investing in one is an idea you ought to give serious consideration to. A small generator that will automatically kick-in if and when the power goes out is an investment that will pay for itself on it’s first activation. Some opt for manual generators in the interests of cost savings, but because they do not kick in while you are at work, on vacation, etc; they are generally not recommended. Some home insurance companies will offer a reduction in premiums if you have an automatic generator, so make sure you get in touch with yours when considering investing in one!

• Alarm System

Ensuring that your sump pump is equipped with an alarm that will sound in the event of a power-outage is a wise decision. It’s not always the case that moisture penetration is as evident as a flooded basement, so without an alarm you may be exposed to not becoming aware of a failure until problems occur. An alarm will alert you to a failure immediately, and allow you to address the problem before it truly becomes one.

Management

When a sump-pump fails, generally the mold growth that occurs as a result is beyond the capabilities of homeowners to address themselves. Over-the-counter mold remediation products and DIY methods generally lack the ability to adequately address mold that has found a home deep in concrete and rotted wood, drywall, carpeting, and furniture.

In cases like these, mold remediation services like Enviropure offer homeowners a quick and convenient alternative. Guaranteeing the complete eradication of mold from your basement, Enviropure will not only remove all rotted wood, carpeting, walls, etc; but replace them as well. Enviropure provides the people of Ottawa the means by which to return their basement to it’s original, mold-free state, quickly and with minimum hassle.

Whether by power outage, mechanical failure, or any other reason; if your home is suffering mold as a result of sump-pump failure, get in touch with Enviropure to return your basement to normal.

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