15 September 2008

How to Test if Your Sump Pump Is Working

Answer: Go down to your basement in the middle of a heavy rainstorm and see what is coming out of your lowest drain at a high velocity.

Chaotic weekend as Stacey and I enjoyed a flooded basement. We now realize what a walk in the park it was last time this happened, earlier this spring, when it was only water. Let's just say I would rather discover what my neighbors eat for breakfast by simply asking them. There are some things squeegees should simply never be used for.

From what I understand we were certainly not the only ones with flooding and sewage damage; this was a record rainfall for Chicagoland over these 48 hours. Doubtless many others had it a lot worse than we did. At times our street was submerged in about 2 feet of water; we could only see the top of the fire hydrant. Stacey and I watched the radar map online as the massive system that was Hurricane Ike slowly moved across Illinois. Chicago was right in the middle the whole time. I am grateful for a helpful landlord and an ever-optimistic and cheerful wife.

Well hey, at least the rain stopped about 38 days earlier than it did for Noah. And, most importantly, no books got damaged.

Ah, well. Back to zeal in Sirach.

He said to them, "Where is your faith?" And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, "Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?" --Luke 8:25

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

What I waited to read: "No books got damaged." Whew.

ErinOrtlund said...

Ack! That sounds like no fun at all. I hope you got some help from your landlord in cleaning up the mess.

Gavin Ortlund said...

Yikes. Hope the ping pong table made it out okay.

Laurzie said...

Oh dear! So sorry! Glad to hear the books survived.

Jani Ortlund said...

Yikes! Isn't this where I sleep each time I visit? I'll make sure to check the weather next time I want to come. So sorry about this mess. Hope you are getting all the clean-up help you need.

HomeUtility said...

Just read about the use of sump pump in your post and want to more information about it . Can you please provide me more details about the correct use of sump pumps.