A Predicted El Niño Means Get Your Sump Pumps Ready
- By Eli Weinstock
- Aug 21, 2019
This year you might be seeing more sump pumps for sale than ever—and it might be a good idea to grab one.
That's because meteorologists are predicting a powerful El Niño effect for 2014-2015, and that's going to bring a massive uptick in precipitation. El Niño refers to a periodic warming of the Pacific Ocean, specifically the area that runs along the equator west of South America. Normally, the ocean waters are fairly cold, but when they rise in temperature they affect winds and, thus, weather patterns worldwide. A very small increase in ocean water temperature, of just half a degree Celsius, is enough to cause severe winters, cold weather and heavy rainfall across the U.S.
This year's approaching El Niño is on track to be much more severe than a half degree. While the warming of the oceans is a natural cycle, scientists believe it may be more pronounced because of global warming.
That means a lot of homeowners are going to find out that their basements or cellars, which have done fine in previous winters and springs, may take on water and flood. The growing market for sump pumps for sale reflects the preparation of savvy homeowners who want to prevent the flooding before it happens.
Even if your home already has a sump pump, now is a good time to check it over and see if it's going to be enough. Some key things to look out for include:
- Does it work? – Test your sump pump to make sure it's active. If you open the sump basin, there's probably a floater switch that turns on the pump when the water rises. Lift up this switch and make sure the pump kicks on.
- Batteries – Most sump pumps run off the house's electricity, but have batteries in case of a power outage (likely during storms). Put in fresh batteries to make sure your sump pump will do its job when you need it most.
- Capacity – How old is your sump pump, how much water does your basin hold, and how quickly does the pump get that water out of there? It is possible for pumps to become overwhelmed by massive precipitation and allow flooding to occur. There are modern sump pumps that are much more powerful and efficient than older models, and which are less likely to become saturated.
- Drainage – Your sump pump should send the water to a storm sewer or the curb, not a sanitary sewer like the toilet. If you have an older sump pump that runs to the sanitary sewer, change it immediately!
