Shop flooded AGAIN

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Russianwolf

Russianwolf

Member
Joined
Jul 13, 2007
Messages
5,690
Location
Martinsburg, WV, USA.
yep, went down to grab something from the shop and had an inch of water in the entire space. Float on the Sump Pump was stuck. Finally got it unstuck and have most of the water out and turned on the fans. Hopefully the humidity will stay low and I won't have to deal with the rust I had to a couple years ago.
 
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Sorry to hear that Mike. My shop has started to flood when we get a heavy rain so I just open the garage door and sweep it right out. Kind of hard to sweep a basement. I feel for you, friend.
Charles
 
I am sorry to hear this again Mike. I wished that I lived closer to help you out. My 1st house had basement window wells below ground level and we flooded 2-3 times a year. I hope that it dries out quick and clean.
 
I have this same issue with a basement window below ground level..been driving me nuts. I'm going to have it sealed right in with concrete this year. I would be deeply depressed if my shop flooded. I built mine above the ground, took 240 yards of sand to fill it, but it was worth it to have all the ground around it sloping away.
 
Sorry to hear this Mike. If you haven't already you should replace the sump pump. Back a number of years ago we had the same thing happen and got an inch of water in the basement. We continued to have problems with the float so we replaced the sump pump. Definately worth the small cost compared to water in the basement.
 
Mike, I know how bad these floods suck. Try using a spray car wax on your equipment, it really helps prevent rust when this happens.
 
We also had our basement flood due to sump pump failure. We now have a 12V backup sump pump (runs off an RV battery with trickle recharger). If the main pump ever fails and the water in the sump well rises, the backup will keep things from flooding for a few days even without power. An alarm on the backup also alerts me to the fact that it was triggered.
 
You need to buy a water alarm. They sit on the floor of the basement and sound off when the water completes the circuit. Very in-expensive.

I had wired one up with a 9v battery, a PC speaker and a couple of wires an inch apart. A couple years later I couldn't figure out where the buzzing was coming from, down to find it and there was the washing machine still flowing..

Wasn't bad, caught it with barely any water on the ground, but it could have been really bad.
 
I understand what you are feeling and going through.

My buddy and I shared the wet basement shop in the house he rented and when he left I move in. When the weather was at its worst the 2' x 2' x 2' sump hole would fill in about 2 minutes. :eek: I had 2 pumps in it just in case one failed or couldn't keep up. I also had a gas powered pump outside the window incase of power failures. The biggest fear was a power failure when not at home. It happened once and by the time I got home and the gas pump running there was 6 inches of water in the shop area. :frown:

I think Dave's 12 volt back up pump is a great idea. Had I known about boat bilge pumps then I would have put one of them in the sump pit too!

All the best with the clean up.
Pete
 
I feel for ya. My shop is in the basement too. If this is a repeat problem, replace the sump pump. I had my float fail because a spring broke - happened 2 more times in ensuing years. Seems drastic to replace a hole pump becasue on one little spring, but a bad design is a bad design, and the fact they I have not had the sump fail in about 8 years makes it worth every penny. If this is a recurring problem, I recomend you replace the pump when you install the backup system, and pay a little extra for a good one.
 
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Guess I am singing the same refrain Mike!!

I too had my shop flood a couple times before replacing the sump. The 12v battery backup system will be my next "home project". My son did his and has told me several times how easy it was and relative to fixing a flood, how inexpensive. (Hate it when he is so right!)

Hope the clean up stays minor!!!
 
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