30 Apr Prepare for Spring Disasters
Spring has Sprung for sure. The old rhyme “April showers bring May flowers” is in overdrive here in the greater Saint Louis Metropolitan Area. Along with those showers landlords, property managers and property owners need to be prepared. We should all prepare for spring disasters.
As we prepare for spring disasters we should look to what tools we need that are different from other times of the year. Here is the list of extra tools to have.
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Wet/Dry Shop Vac. Use this to suck up water in your home lest than 1 inch deep. These range in price from about $22.00 up to $650 dollars*. We are currently using a Rigid 12 Gallon 5.0 peak horsepower.
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½ Horse Power Non-Clogging Vortex, Reinforced Thermoplastic Submersible Utility Pump. Make sure it is fully submersible and you can attach a garden hose to it. This is for water more than 1 inch deep. Place it in the lowest spot. Make sure the power connection is above the water. These run from $69.00 up to $250.00 each*.
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Garden Hose. Get at least 50 feet of garden hose. Buy it in sections of 25 feet each. Try tugging hose through a wet basement and you will see why I like 25’ sections. Light weight collapsible hoses are great as long as there are no sharp spots. This hooks to the portable sump pump and can direct the water out of a window, in to a drain or out the door. Prices vary by season.
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Dehumidifier with automatic pump. These are sold by how many pints the unit can intake before it needs emptied. Who wants to be tied to emptying the dehumidifier when it is full? Makes sure yours has an automatic discharge pump with a hose connected to a drain. Prices range from $149.00 to $1,300.00 for a commercial unit*.
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Portable Electric Generator. Let’s face it the power goes out more frequently in the spring. Buy it before you need it, because they day you need one they will be sold out in about 45 minutes. Buy your generator based upon what you want it to do and where you will be using it. Small generators that will run a shop vac or two start at $115.00 or so. After that the sky is the limit The Honda portable generator tops out at about $2,300.00 each*. Questions to ask yourself; Will I need to lift this into the car, pickup truck or onto a trailer by myself? What do I want to power? Just remember that when you loan your generator to friends or family it will not be working when they bring it back. Before storing your generator drain the gasoline from the tank and let the engine run until it stops. Do not store your generator with gas in the tank or in the engine.
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Chain Saw. These come in two sizes, Big and Little. They also come in two types, Gas and electric. Most of the electric chain saws are of the “little” variety. Gas chain saws start little and get big and expensive very quickly. Unless you know how to use a chain saw, do not buy one. Unless you know how to fix a chain saw, get an electric one. It is so easy to pull out an electric chain saw and cut up small limbs and debris. Clean up and storage is just as easy. However, if you are a chainsaw god like Ralph “Tree Ninja” Miller the big gas chainsaws are a cinch. If you are not comfortable or qualified to use a chain saw, find your own tree ninja. Electric saws start at $49.00 with Gas Chainsaws of the medium size topping out at about $450.00 each*.
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Know the phone numbers to at least three handymen who can assist in an emergency situation.
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Know the phone numbers and contact information to two or three emergency restoration services. These companies have crews which will come out and help you preserve and protect your property from further damage. This is required by your insurance policy.
You must plan ahead to prepare for spring disasters.
Next time learn about preventing Spring Disasters.
Send your tip for spring emergency preparedness to [email protected] and be entered in our June, 2017 drawing for a $25.00 Home Depot gift card.
*Prices check at www.HomeDepot.com
Good Luck and Good Investing
George N. Skidis, Jr. – President and Founder of Illinois REIA
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