Check the Sump Before You Leave Town

Last week in Battle Creek was 80-degree afternoons, a thunderstorm with hail on Wednesday, and more rain on Sunday. That water does not leave with the clouds. It sits in the sump crock, the floor drain, and the discharge hose in the yard. Labor Day weekend is when the house is empty and the carpet takes it.

Before you leave, walk downstairs. Lift the lid. If the crock is high, the float is stuck, or the hose is kinked in the grass, that is a flooded basement while you are out of town, not a Tuesday problem. Plug it in once and listen. If it does not kick, call A.W. Crooks. We are 24/7 in Battle Creek and we do not add a weekend tax during hours. (269) 962-5441.

Same walk: the water heater. Eight to twelve years old, rust at the bottom, or a wet ring on the floor is this week. Heat is next. The $99 furnace and $199 boiler tune-ups are on now if you want the system checked before the first hard freeze. One system check. Repairs not included. Call or book at tctcinc.com/specials.

After hail and rain, look at the downspouts and the AC condensate line. A crushed outlet or a pan overflowing is how a ceiling gets it in September.

If you are building or running commercial plumbing, that is The Plumbing Company, not Crooks. If last week's storm tripped a breaker you cannot reset, or you have been putting off an In-Home Generator, that is The Michigan Electric Company. One call reaches all three.