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Protecting my memorabilia with water sensors

I wonder if anyone has a basement like mine?

I’m a pack rat. I have been for years. I save stuff that is sentimental to me. I have everything from the favorite doll my daughter had when she was young, to old articles from my high school newspaper. [...]

I wonder if anyone has a basement like mine?

I’m a pack rat. I have been for years. I save stuff that is sentimental to me. I have everything from the favorite doll my daughter had when she was young, to old articles from my high school newspaper. And when my dad passed away about ten years ago, I inherited a lot of family memorabilia too. Some of this dates back to the late 1800s.

Because of all this, my basement has become like a giant scrapbook to me. (It’s the only place where there is room for all of this.) But, I have to keep in mind that it IS a basement after all. And I live next to a swamp. This time of year I always notice the swamp water level rising, causing the sump pump in my basement goes into overdrive. If that sump pump ever goes, I could lose a lot of memorabilia that is sentimental to me. But a few years ago I was able to alleviate this concern by installing a sump pump sensor.

With a sump pump sensor tied to my security system I know that if my sump pump quits working and the water level in my pump basket rises, I will receive an alarm from my security system.

There are several forms of water level sensors and they can all be added on to a security system. With my sump pump sensor, the sensor itself is installed down in my sump basket - right above the float that triggers my pump to run. The sensor consists of a mechanical apparatus that traps air in a cup and as the water rises it makes the cup rise. When it reaches a certain level it trips an alarm to my security system and I end up getting a call from my monitoring center to let me know I need to take care of my sump pump.

It's important to note that, just like with the rest of my security system, my sump pump sensors must be tested on a regular basis (the manufacturer recommends once a month). One way to test a sump pump sensor is to lift the cup up slowly to trigger the alarm to the panel (if you do this, be sure to contact the monitoring center prior to testing. Their number is 763-477-4275).

There are other types of water sensors available too. These can be placed on the low spot of a basement floor or wall. They work much the same as the sump pump sensor. And with it being spring in Minnesota, it is definitely a wet time of year. I don’t know about you, but I would hate to come home one day to find the corsage from my senior prom floating in my basement (yeah, it’s in there too – somewhere). I’m glad I can rest assured knowing that won’t happen.