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I will be calling Ken. It seems to be related to the downspout by the sump pump. Its the last one that we havent had Ken do for us.
And yes, I have leak frog's. They are great! I keep one by the furnace humidifier and one by the sump pump. Just google, leak frog. They sound off a loud alarm when they sense water.
Oh, yes, I agree about the PTSD - a year ago this past February we had a huge flood in our basement/family room during a rainstorm; the sump pump failed. I was home alone at the time; the memory of holding a hose attached to a backup portable pump in the middle of ankle-deep water, pouring rain and horror at the realization of all that would have to be replaced is still fresh. We got the biggest, baddest sump pump plus battery back up you can find, also added tons of drainage pipes to our landscaping to redirect the water that cascades down from the neighbors' yards (we're on a hill), but I still can't sleep at night when it's raining the way it did the other evening. Unless I'm hearing that sump pump go on at regular intervals, I'm a wreck.
Originally posted by southge: And yes, I have leak frog's. They are great! I keep one by the furnace humidifier and one by the sump pump. Just google, leak frog. They sound off a loud alarm when they sense water.
That's awesome....*files info for when future house is purchased*
Should I give up, or should I just keep chasing pavements....even if it leads nowhere - Adele
The words that set off my PTSD. Flash flood warning.
I do want to thank my former neighbors to the south who years ago built a garage, covered patio and concrete driveway. It raised the elevation of their yard, which has created flooding problems between our houses for years. Every year, it's a new problem. Like to also give thanks to my other neighbor to the south, who built up an enclosed garden on their hillside. On half of their back yard. The other half now channels the runoff water to my next door neighbor who dug a trench and installed a pump in their back yard to remove the ever present pool.
My salvation: French Drains. Downspouts - controlled. Sump Pump - controlled.
Next step: Dry wells
Did I say I hate rain?
"A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices." William James
This whole village has water problems, mostly of recent occurrence. Bought our house 14 years ago, and it didn't even have a sump pump and it never occurred to us to put one in. No signs of water in the basement/family room (it's a split level) at all. But in the ensuing years, we've built an addition that sticks farther out in the back yard, where the rainwater used to run; our neighbors built an addition,ditto; up the hill from us other additions were built, new houses built, and suddenly everyone's having flooding problems. The water just doesn't have anyplace to go that's not in someone's (newer, bigger) house.
We spent a lot of money this past year digging up some landscaping and putting in new retaining walls with new drainage pipes to divert the water toward the street and away from the house. My husband has spent many a damp night outside tinkering with our downspouts to do the same thing. I think the whole village just needs to be re-engineered in some way, to deal with the changing landscape (not to mention those pesky 100-year rains we seem to get every year now).
We've been dealing with more underground springs entering some buildings at my condo association. We've been able to solve the issue with some drainage engineering put into the property, at a pretty penny, but, one thing we were told was that the water level in general has changed - since more of us are using Lake Michigan water, rather than the well system that was prevalent what, 30-40 years ago? Builders are saying they're hitting water far more quickly than they did in the old well days.
Me, I like Lake Michigan water and am glad we did it, but I can see it could have caused unforeseen issues.
But, yeah, more environmental/ecological -minded building/development wouldn't hurt, as well as being aware of the ecology as a whole - locally, nationally, globally. Yep, looking at you BP!
Posts: 441 | Location: Glen Ellyn, IL USA | Registered: October 06, 2003
We have lived in Glen Ellyn about a zillion years and flooding is NOTHING new! There have been numerous times that Glen Ellyn has experienced flooding. Since there has been a lot of building, some areas are having problems that missed water in previous years. Underground springs have always run through GE. Remember, it was originally a resort area developed so Chicago people could come out here and have mineral spring baths.
The first big flood that I remember was in August of 1972. At that time most basements, streets, etc were under water. I remember that Park Blvd, just east of Lakeview Terrace was completely flooded. That is the first time I remember (although we were fairly new to GE at that time) that the manhole on the corner of Main and Fairview blew off and the result was a geyser. This still happens often!
The next, was August of 1987 when another huge rainstorm occurred and a lot of flooding was experienced.
October of 2001 there was another big rain that left streets in town flooded and many were closed.
Is it worse now? IMO, I think it is actually better than my earlier years here. (Spring Avenue was not named for the season!) Many of the flood plains have been built on and hence houses that have not experienced water are now seeing it.
I know Spring was named for the underground spring - and the folks at the end of the street who recently modeled tapped into it, and now they a bazillion sump pumps dealing with it. But our house was built in 1953, and until 7 years ago, it didn't have a sump pump. So obviously, for decades, the original owners didn't have any flooding. Something's changed - but as I said, I think we've all changed the way the water runs down from Hill, with all the new additions and houses.
The whole county has ground water problems- IDNR estimated the County was at least half wetland pre-settlement which means groundwater close to the surface. 2-3 pumps are not that unusual in parts of DuPage. Really really bad soils here- tight clay and perched water tables. Couldn't even be farmed in many areas without drain tiles. The 1933 Chicago Worlds Fair actually used part of DuPage as an example of how to drain wet soils to allow agriculture by showing new tile installations in Wayne Township.
august 1987...wake up to water running down the wall...on the second floor... took me 5 minutes to figure out i should...close the window!! other wise we've been lucky...
So I am laying in bed this morning and I hear a steady beep. I say to my husband,"OMG its the backup sump pump going off something must be wrong with the main pump". He says, "It's a bird". He was right.
