Good Morning,
I am happy to say that my cup of Door County Peanut Butter Crunch Coffee is hot and ready to drink. It is time to write.
Proverbs 27:1 Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.
As we close out this week and head into the weekend I would like to pass on just a thought or two on learning from mishaps.
On Wednesday evening, my lovely wife came upstairs from the basement and asked me to look at the sump pump downstairs. "It is running and not stopping" she said. Now for those of you that are wondering what a sump pump is. Here you go.
A sump pump is device used to remove water from basements and crawl spaces to prevent flooding. The pump is usually located at the lowest point of the crawl space or basement floor and collects water via drain pipes connected to the foundation walls or floor of your home. The collected water is then is pumped out of the basement or crawl space through a discharge pipe which typically leads outside away from your home's foundation.
In our home the sump pump system is needed when we have heavy rains or large snow melts. They typically last anywhere from 2-4 years. Since it is hard to tell when one will decide not to work any more, I installed a secondary back up pump that will kick in if the first one fails. Now knowing that we have a back up if needed is just peace of mind. They are on two separate electrical circuits and backed up with power by an automatic generator. When we were a single pump only home, our pump failed and we came home to a flooded basement. Now, everything is automatic and makes for peace of mind. In addition to the back up pump inside the crock we have a new spare pump and all the plumbing fittings on a shelf.
The spare pump has been given to friends and neighbors on occasions when their pump has failed and the hardware store was closed. It has saved a few folks from having a wet basement.
My point is this. Not to have learned from one wet basement and the loss of a few belongings would totally make me a fool beyond being a fool. Then to not think it through and know that in a power failure the pump doesn't pump and a battery back up might not last long enough since we have gone without power for a day. A portable generator is great if you are home to start it. Ask my wife what it is was like trying to pull start that generator on a cold November night. As well as adding gasoline to it every three hours. So to not use the knowledge granted to me and asking some very important questions would again make me a fool among fools.
So when I diagnosed the problem the other night, both of us were like a well oiled machine. Rene covered the work area with a tarp. She knows I cannot fix anything without making a mess. She anticipated the area getting a little wet. I started changing out the defective pump and within 30 minutes we filled the sump crock and tested the new pump. All was good and we cleaned up our small mess and headed for some ice cream.
The last thing in owning a home is to prepare for problems and talk the potential for calamity through with your family. Everyone should know the plan and talk it over enough so that it is familiar to all in the home. If I were gone, Rene could have talked a friend or neighbor through this process if needed or just rely on the back up pump.
Friends you are all thinking that we run around with flashlights and hard hats practicing for emergencies. Not really. We have just learned from experience what can happen and we learn also from others experiences.
So closing out. It never hurts to be prepared! God Bless,
Marty
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