The neighbor who said I didn't need a sump pump was dead wrong

When I bought my house in Lethbridge three years ago, my neighbor told me the basement had never flooded in 25 years and a sump pump was a waste of money. I trusted him because he seemed like a nice older guy who knew the area. Fast forward to last spring when we had that huge melt and three days of rain back to back. I woke up to two inches of water in my basement and ruined a bunch of boxes of old photos and holiday decorations. The cleanup cost me around $1,200 for a restoration company to dry everything out and spray for mold. I installed a sump pump the next week for $400 and felt pretty dumb for listening to him. Has anyone else gotten bad advice from a long time homeowner in their neighborhood?

3 comments

3 Comments

jessej231mo ago

Man that $400 pump probably already saved you way more than that in peace of mind alone. I tell people all the time don't trust the "it's never happened" line because that just means it's overdue. I had the same thing with my neighbor who said the old cast iron pipes were fine then bam sewage backup a year later. You did the smart thing getting the restoration crew quick too because mold in a basement is a nightmare you don't want to mess with.

jessica7071mo ago

Wait did your neighbor actually have to deal with the full sewage backup or did he catch it just in time? Because I swear some people will wait until their basement is basically a swimming pool before they finally admit something's wrong. It's wild how many folks think old pipes are built better when really they're just rusting out and about to fail. The whole "it's never happened before" mindset must work great until you're standing in three inches of water at 2 AM. Did you end up helping him clean up or did you just say "told you so" from the driveway? Your advice about the restoration team is spot on too because waiting even a day on mold can turn a fix into a full gut job.

robertcarr1mo ago

That old "it's never happened" line gets people every time... I read somewhere that basements in Lethbridge actually flood more than people think because of the clay soil holding water after big melts. Your neighbor probably just got lucky for 25 years but luck runs out eventually. My buddy had a similar situation with his neighbor who swore the foundation was fine because he never saw cracks, then a plumber found a huge one hidden behind some drywall. You made the right call spending that $400 on the sump pump, beats paying $1,200 again for drying stuff out.