***OFFICIAL 2026 WEATHER THREAD***
- Thread starter nfrine
- Start date
2” of rain by the mall in Ames. I went and purchased a dual sump pump system with battery for $645. 1/2,HP system from Ace Hardware yesterday. Got 15% off for being a rewards member. Already has the check valve system and comes with a phone app. Considering my neighbor just spent $2,700 from C&K for a single pump system with battery I think I did pretty well. My current one is still working fine but it is getting up there in age. Peace of mind.
That's the exact type of system I'm looking at upgrading too. Which brand did you go with? I'm looking at Wayne and Zoeller.
I built my own battery back up. Bought an inverter that would handle the system and then a marine battery. Wired them up and it has functioned well. Maybe $300 in the whole system.
I had well over 2 inches in my gauge in N. Ames. Back yard is soggy as hell, need to mow today so hopefully the sun comes out and dries things out.
Last night we had a big downpour in North Ames and the power also went out for some mysterious reason in my neighborhood- which never happens in Ames. Needless to say we were desperately trying to push water out of the sump pump for about an hour to keep our basement from flooding again, even as it was pouring in from the walls (there was no time to install the secondary sump pump at all, let alone how it was likely ruined by the July 4 flood). Our neighbors also reported the same from last night. I haven't seen anything like this before in the last 4 years I was at this house.
I'm gonna be honest I didn't think North Ames had such major flood issues just west of the Wal-Mart. Flood maps of the region show that it's not in any flood zone- most of the flooding in Ames is usually along the riverbeds in the Skunk River and Ioway Creek to the far east of town and along ISU. Meanwhile this should be one of the highest spots in the city... We even suspect there's something wrong with the city administration for this flood, with how many times they dropped the ball on drainage and then the power outage.
So we're just gonna sell the house this fall and I'm gonna move back in to my family in another city in Iowa. I'm actually quite nervous of another severe weather incident again with how every little bit of rain is now causing a flood risk here, and also remembering the last major derecho I was in here happened in August...
I'm gonna be honest I didn't think North Ames had such major flood issues just west of the Wal-Mart. Flood maps of the region show that it's not in any flood zone- most of the flooding in Ames is usually along the riverbeds in the Skunk River and Ioway Creek to the far east of town and along ISU. Meanwhile this should be one of the highest spots in the city... We even suspect there's something wrong with the city administration for this flood, with how many times they dropped the ball on drainage and then the power outage.
So we're just gonna sell the house this fall and I'm gonna move back in to my family in another city in Iowa. I'm actually quite nervous of another severe weather incident again with how every little bit of rain is now causing a flood risk here, and also remembering the last major derecho I was in here happened in August...
We live in a split foyer so our basement is only half way below ground. As such, our sump pump only runs during the heavier rain storms and even then it doesn't run continuously. We've never had basement water issues and I've felt very blessed.
However, it occurred to me that our pump has to be around 30 years old, which is probably 3 times the normal life expectancy. I hate to spend money replacing something that works fine, but I should probably start shopping around.
However, it occurred to me that our pump has to be around 30 years old, which is probably 3 times the normal life expectancy. I hate to spend money replacing something that works fine, but I should probably start shopping around.
The good news is that it looks hot & dry for the next 10-14 days. Flash drought would be great IMO
I'm fine with the dry part for a while, but you can keep the hot.
I replaced mine with a zoeller, that seemed like the best brand per my research. I'm also getting a battery backup for piece of mind, basement watchdog seemed like a good choice for value and reliability. I probably should have gotten a dual one with battery backup originally but oh well.
Lots of homes to the north and west of the Fairway in N. Ames had flooding last week from the 6 inches of rain we got, my daughter included. But like she said in the 14 years they have lived there, it was the first time it ever happened. Last night another two inches or more of rain, no water in her basement.
You could live here for another 10 to 15 years an never get rain like we got last week, sometimes forces just line up against you. Deal with it and move on. There was no grand conspiracy by the city, just a **** ton of rain all falling at once.
You don't have to be the lowest point in town, just the lowest point in your neighborhood.
There are areas on Nixon/Jefferson that are 6 feet lower than Hoover to the west and 10 feet lower than Roy Key to the east.
Yeah I just got miffed that we suddenly had to deal with a foot of water in the basement and then a power outage a few days later, I've been in many storms in the last almost three decades and none of them caused this much flooding, even the hurricane we were in didn't flood us back when we lived in the Maritimes in 2003.
Here's hoping the high pressure ridge over the next couple of weeks drains all the water from the ground, and these next few months go by without more crazy weather schenanigans. We've been planning to move out soon for family reasons for a while, this was the event that finally got us to get off our rear ends and finally do it.
Went with this one:
The Basement Watchdog Big Combo 1/2 HP 4,400 gph Cast Iron Dual Reed Switch AC Backup Sump Pump Mfr# CITS-50 - Ace Hardware
The Basement Watchdog Big Combo is a pre-assembled, energy-efficient 1/2 HP primary sump pump combined with the number one selling Basement Watchdog Special connect Battery Backup Sump Pump System. It's the D.I.Y. solution for replacing your current sump pump with an efficient, cost-saving one...
www.acehardware.com
Was looking at the Wayne one also. I got an additional 1 year warranty on the battery. My sump pit seems small. I may have to dig down a couple inches to get it to fit height wise.
