Weed Control Costshare Due
County Agent News
Dan Folske
March 15, 2010
Weed Control Costshare Due
The Burke County Weed Board is offering costshare on control of Leafy Spurge, Common Tansy, Canada Thistle and Absinthe Wormwood in non crop land. Applications are due Friday, March 19th. If you need an application form please contact the Burke County Extension Office at 377-2927 or email me at dan.folske@ndsu.edu
Check Your Sump Pumps
While most area residents may not live in a flood plain the warm weather which is forecasted this week may caused localized flooding in the area. You may have water problems now or like me, you expect them later. I have heavy soils around my house and water which is soaking into the ground now shows up in my basement in about six weeks.
Making sure your sump pump works now can prevent problems later.
For many homeowners, a sump pump is their first line of defense against getting water in the basement.
The threat of flooding this spring means homeowners should check their sump pump now to make sure it works properly, North Dakota State University Extension Service agricultural engineer Tom Scherer says.
A new NDSU video offers tips on getting sump pumps ready to handle spring and summer water. It's available at http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/flood/home/sump-pump-tips.
Sump pumps come in two basic models: upright (commonly called a pedestal) and submersible. Either will work well with proper maintenance, according to Scherer.
The sump, which is the pit where the pump sits, may be connected to drain tile that drains the footings of the house, the area under the entire basement or just the area where the sump is located. Many houses have tile installed only around a portion of the house. The water that drains into the sump must be removed. That's accomplished with a sump pump.
The pedestal pump's motor is on top of the pedestal and the pump is at the base, which sits on the bottom of the sump. The motor is not meant to get wet. A ball float turns the pump on and off. One advantage of this type of pump is that the on/off switch is visible, so you can see the ball float's action easily, Scherer says.
Submersible pumps are designed to be submerged in water and sit on the bottom of the sump. The on/off switch is attached to the pump.
Pumps have three main types of on/off controls. The first type uses a ball float attached to the pump and connected to an internal watertight switch. The second type is a sealed, tethered float switch with an on/off setting that is adjustable by changing the length of the tether. The third type uses a diaphragm to sense the water level and turn the pump on and off.
Either type of pump should have a check valve on the water discharge pipe so water doesn't flow back into the sump when the pump shuts off. Water flowing back into the sump can cause the pump to turn on and off more frequently than necessary, which decreases the life of the pump.
To check the pump, first make sure the discharge pipe on the side of the house is not frozen shut or plugged and that it directs water away from the house. Next, make sure the pump is plugged in. Remove the lid (if the sump has one) and use a flashlight to check if the sump is clean and the pump inlet screens are not plugged.
Slowly pour water into the sump. Try to simulate the speed that water normally would flow into the sump. Watch the on/off switch's action and listen to the pump. Make sure the pump turns on and off at least twice. If something doesn't work or sound right, fix it as soon as possible.
