Kansas City plumbers are hard at work following the weekend’s rainstorm.
One customer of Bob Hamilton Plumbing came home from an out-of-town trip Sunday night to discover 6-inches of water in her basement. The culprit, according to Bob Hamilton plumber Matt Dayringer -- outside tree roots growing into the sewer line.
Dayringer says the customer may have been able to prevent the backup but taking some preventative steps.
Get an annual checkup of the sewer system.
“Get the line opened up and take a camera. Run it down the sewer and just kind of access the situation. See what kind of condition it is in,” said Dayringer.
Get a sump pump if you do not have one.
“Anytime you have a basement that you can not walk out on ground level from the basement, you should have a sump pump,” said Dayringer.
Do routine checks and maintenance on existing sump pump
“Just make sure the thing is still working,” said Dayringer. “Take a look at the connections, make sure there is no leaking. Pull the float up on your sump pump every once in awhile.
Sump Pump Cost
Dayringer says to purchase and install a sump pump from scratch could cost someone roughly $4,500. The price tag would include taking a jackhammer to the floor and putting a pit in as well as the cost of the pump itself and a discharge line.
Cost can vary widely from company to company depending on existing infrastructure.
Jeff Hendrix, owner of 14-year Kansas City area business All Pro Plumbing, says he installs a good, standard primary sump pump for $385 (sump pump only). He doesn't necessarily recommend a battery backup enabled version because the battery needs maintenance and most homeowners don't realize that.
Hendrix says a good sump pump should last roughly 8 years. Hendrix also says there's some routine maintenance homeowners can do to check sump pumps:
- Once or twice a year, remove the lid, shine a flashlight down in there and look for debris. Make sure it's all clean.
- Reach down and move the float to make sure the pump kicks on. Owners can also run a garden hose down and fill the hole to make sure pump is working properly.
Hendrix also recommends learning more about hydro backup sump pumps for those wanting a secondary pump that is more reliable than a battery backup system.
