We’ve seen a couple heavy summer storms already, but with humid August days ahead, odds are we’re going to see more stormy skies this month. So in this episode of Raising the Standard, BOSS co-owner, Jeff Street lays out a check-list of things for homeowners to inspect after a storm to make sure nothing is damaged or a danger to you or your family.
1. Check for Hanging Tree Limbs and Pick Up Branches
After a storm, it’s always a good idea to look up into the trees to see if there are any broken branches still hanging that didn’t make it all the way down to the ground because you don’t want them to hurt someone if they happen to come loose and fall later on.
2. Check Your Roof
On that same note, if you have the ability to get up on your roof, you should go up there to safely make sure that a branch didn’t fall on your roof and tear a shingle or damage anything else. It’s a good time to ensure that your roof is still intact and watertight because there’s nothing worse than discovering a roof leak later on.
3. Check Your Basement for Water
During a storm, the ground gets saturated and the water has to have somewhere to go and sometimes that place is in your basement or your crawl space. So if you haven’t been down into your basement in a while or looked into your crawl space, it’s a good time to go look after a storm to see if your basement is leaking. Also, look at your walls to see if there’s water soaking through your walls and onto your floor because that’s very common, especially in Southwest Michigan this time of year.
4. Make Sure Your Sump Pump is Working
Your sump pump will definitely come in handy during a big storm to make sure water stays out of your home, but if your sump pump doesn’t work and you aren’t aware it’s not working, it’s a good idea to check on that after the rain (and ideally before a storm).
Unfortunately, our HVAC techs probably replace 5-6 flooded furnaces a year just because the homeowner’s sump pump quit working and they didn’t know. Once your furnace is under water, it’s kind of like dumping a car into the lake. It’s very hard to make that work again without spending a lot of money. Typically, insurance covers a flooded furnace, but it’s a hassle that nobody wants to deal with.
Sometimes a storm can knock your power out, and if that happens, your sump pump can fail to work without power. So it’s always a good idea to have a battery backup system to ensure your sump pump always works and is doing its job to keep water out of your basement or crawl space and away from your furnace or other expensive HVAC equipment. With battery backup, your sump pump can work for up to 12 hours or so, which is good if your power is out for an extended time. Just to be safe, test your sump pump every couple of months to make sure it’s working so it doesn’t fail to keep your home dry when you really need it!
Wrapping it Up:
Before we go, one last thing to mention is if you don’t want to deal with pesky power outages during the next big storm, we install Honeywell whole-home generators that will keep your lights on even when your neighbors are in the dark. If you’re interested in having one of our HVAC techs out to your home to look into this option, just call 269-468-6682, and we’d be happy to show you some options!
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