Built on a sand plain
Much of Blaine was wetland, peat and sod farm before it was developed. The land is level, the soil is sandy and the water table sits close to the surface. Neighborhoods are dotted with stormwater ponds and wetlands for that reason.
For a house, that means the ground around the foundation can be saturated for weeks in spring. In many Blaine homes the sump pump cycles every few minutes from March into June.
Common water problems in Blaine
Sump pump failure
This is the big one. A pump that runs that often wears out sooner, and there is very little time between a failure and water on the floor. A power outage during a storm has the same effect. See sump pump failure cleanup.
Lookout and walkout lower levels
Many Blaine homes have lookout or walkout basements with full-size windows and finished living space. These lower levels are finished to the same standard as upstairs, with carpet, trim and built-ins, so a few inches of water does expensive damage. See flooded basement cleanup.
Upstairs laundry and second-floor bathrooms
Newer two-story homes often put the laundry room on the bedroom level. A failed washing machine hose on the second floor sends water through the main-floor ceiling and on to the basement. Three levels are affected from one hose. See burst pipe water damage.
Plumbing fittings and appliance lines
Homes from the 1990s and 2000s use plastic supply piping with crimped or push-fit connections, plus more water-connected appliances: refrigerator lines, humidifiers, water softeners, irrigation systems. Each connection is a potential leak. See water extraction.
Drying newer construction
Newer houses are built tight for energy efficiency. That keeps heating bills down, and it also means moisture does not escape on its own. Materials differ too:
- OSB subfloors swell at the edges when wet and do not fully flatten.
- Engineered floor joists need to be dried promptly to protect their strength.
- Laminate and luxury vinyl plank trap water underneath and usually have to be lifted.
- MDF trim and cabinets swell and do not recover.
Fast extraction and active structural drying make the difference between drying these materials and replacing them.
Townhomes and associations
Blaine has many townhome and twin-home developments. Units share walls, and a leak in one can cross to the neighbor. Association rules may decide who is responsible for what. If you are in an association, check your documents and let the manager know, and tell us in the request so we can coordinate.
Businesses
Commercial and light industrial buildings, many of them slab-on-grade, are common along the highway corridors. Water in these buildings spreads wide across the slab and under partition walls. Getting it extracted quickly limits downtime.
Services most requested in Blaine
Nearby
We also serve Coon Rapids to the west and Andover to the northwest.