Annual Maintenance for your Waterproofing Appliances

Ensuring your Sump Pump is in Tip-top Shape All Year Round 

Service on the Crawl Space: Should I do it? The answer is YES!

When we go into a crawl space that has experienced significant water damage, our first action is installing a drainage system to keep water out and push it away from the homes foundation. This drainage process includes installing a sump pump that can constantly work to push gallons of water away without homeowners having to worry about anything. Because it runs so smoothly and constantly, it could be hard to remember that it may need to be checked on or cleaned just like any other device. Our service technicians take pride in continuing to offer homeowners WOW service by doing annual maintenance on the sump pumps and vapor barriers.  

What does a annual maintenance look like?

• The service technicians begin the annual maintenance check first by walking the outside perimeter of the home. They check to ensure there is no water seeping in and that the ground outside the home is dry.
• Then, once we're in the crawl space we check everything! From vapor barriers, SmartJacks, and drainage. This includes checking for any leaks or holes that might be in the vapor barrier from rodents or extreme weather. We also check to ensure the vapor barrier is still protecting the wooden posts and the foundation walls. This is all to make sure there is no entrance for water to get in the crawl space and that the vapor barrier is in good condition to still keep water out.
• If SmartJacks are installed, our service techs go to every single one and adjust them to that they are fully supporting the home. Sometimes changes in foundation soil require that the steel piers be adjusted and we ensure they are tight against the support beams. 
• Then, it's time to inspect and clean the sump pump!

Why we maintain our sump pumps?

An annual maintenance to the sump pump is one of the most important parts of the inspection because we want to be able to clean the container and ensure that it's working to keep pushing water away from the homes foundation. We begin by unscrewing the airtight lid on the container and see if there is any water pooling in the sump pump. If water is in the container, that indicates to the service tech that something is wrong and needs to be fixed. We drain the container and take out the green pump to scrub both down and clean. Keeping the parts clean helps protect against dirt or mud that can clog the pipes. Once everything is scrubbed down we clean the breather hole on the pump and can put in back into the container. Once it's clean and there is no indication something is wrong, we can close up the container.

How do I know I need service?

That's the easy part! John's Waterproofing strives to ensure homeowners don't have to worry and we will contact you about doing a maintenance check! Our sump pumps are also equipped with a WaterWatch alarm, this is installed to alert the homeowner should any water reach the top of the sump pump. If this alarm begins chirping than it can mean one of three things. Firstly the battery on it may need to be replaced, secondly there could be an issue and the sump pump is not working, or thirdly a pipe could have burst overhead and water is collecting on top of the pump. Should this alarm sound, our service techs will be ready to help. Doing an annual maintenance check may seem like a silly thing, but it's to ensure all homeowners don't ever have to experience water damage in their crawl space again. 

To schedule your annual maintenance, feel free to reach out to our office: https://www.johnswaterproofing.com/schedule-service.html