Planning for the flood
I live in a small house on a small island nearest small sea. The house is something akin to a boat in that it floats. On a sea of groundwater from what I have been told. I have a special hole in the floor in the basement that fills with that same water at times of the year. And yes I do fear a flood. There is a pump in that same hole to take out the excess water most of the time however we have winter and a certain times of that winter things thaw. The exact opposite of freezing. There is a special hose that will lift with the help of a pump any excess water to the outside. Except when things suddenly freeze after that thaw. And so for more than a decade we have been paying particular attention to that whole. Today that has changed. A couple of plumbers stopped by and rewrote it the sump pump hose to a different place. Not yet tested but I do have great faith in the knowledge about plumber. I could have gone to the hardware store and purchased a big box of pieces and put them all together but that would be foolish because I do not know how to do this in a way that will keep my rising waters at bay. Plumbers know that sort of thing. It might cost me a little extra but I am paying for that knowledge. You can tell me all you want about check valves and water flow and all the rest but I feel much better allowing a professional to make sure that my needs have been met. We will not know for another half year if this is worked as we hope but again I believe in the knowledge of others. I will not be spending any more nights watching that whole. And yes the sump pump could fail. It would not be the first time. But you have to have faith in what you have. And the plumber fully understood our worries. He was able to plan a solution in less time than it would take me to describe the symptoms. A great way to spend a hot summer day.
