Household Tips

Clean Your Grates

Clean your grates! In the fall and spring, and after heavy rains, be sure to check the storm sewer grates on the street by your house and in your yard. Grates clogged with leaves and trash can cause flooding. Please remove the debris away from the grate. If the debris is large, contact the Public Works Department at 847.913.2380, for assistance.

Emptying Your Pool

Before you empty your swimming pool each season, please remember to dechlorinate the water before discharging it into the environment. This important step protects plant and animal life. Not only that, it is required by law. Dechlorination can be achieved by simply not adding chlorine to the water and letting the water sit for several days in the sun before draining the pool. Alternatively, you may use one of several products on the market which will neutralize the chlorine. You can contact your chlorine supplier to get more information on these chemicals.

Fireplace Tips

Fireplaces add a nice ambience to a room, but they can also cause dangerous fires. Don’t take any chances with your family and your home. Follow these fire department tips:

• Schedule an inspection and cleaning of your fireplace by a licensed, professional chimney sweep now. We recommend that this be done annually. Bird nests and blocked flu pipes are a common cause of chimney fires.
• Always close the screen or glass door in front of the fireplace to keep sparks from flying out. Keep all combustibles at least 36 inches away from the fire.
• Make sure the fire is out completely before you go to bed. Dispose of ashes in a metal container, not in plastic or paper bags.
• Never leave children unattended in a room where a fire is burning.
• Burn only dry, well-seasoned hardwoods like maple, elm, oak and birch. Avoid pine, spruce and any wood that is green and moist. Never burn painted or treated lumber. These woods give off poisonous vapors.
• Never use accelerants such as gasoline or lighter fluid to start your fire. Use kindling wood instead.
• Keep your fire moderate in size.
• Never leave the fire unattended.

Hydrant Clearance

The Village of Lincolnshire is requesting your assistance to comply with the Illinois Fire Hydrant Act (425ILCS 20/1). This law, which was enacted for better fire service protection, requires a 48 inch clearance around all fire hydrants. Please clear any barriers, trees, bushes, or other obstacles which hide or impede the use of the hydrant.

Sanitary Sewer Service Lines

Spring cleaning is just around the corner. To reduce the chance of a sanitary sewer backup, you may wish to have your service line from your house to the main line cleaned and inspected. Tree roots can block the flow through these lines by entering through cracks in joints of the pipes. Commercial contractors who perform this service are listed in the phone book under "Sewer Cleaners and Repairers".

Sump Pumps

The Village Code requires that residents disconnect sump pump discharges that flow to the street and redirect the flow onto their own property between November 1st and April 1st. This is done to prevent ice buildup in the streets which could create a hazard to both motorists and pedestrians alike, as well as cause excessive damage to our roadways and snow removal equipment.

Most homes have two sump pumps. The first sump pump is connected to the sanitary sewer. It removes any water generated within the house, such as water from floor drains in a basement, overflows from washing machines, and waste in lower parts of the house. Since it is possible that this water may have come in contact with household chemicals, it must be sent to the wastewater treatment plant before being discharged into the environment. The second sump pump is either discharged to the storm sewer or to turf in a yard. This sump pump removes water from the drain constructed around the outside of the basement walls. This pump plays an important part in protecting the basement walls from damage during rain events and in keeping basements dry. Since this water’s source is rain or groundwater, it is considered clean and does not need to be treated by the wastewater treatment plant.

Sending clean storm water to the wastewater treatment plant can overload the plant during periods of heavy rainfall, and can cost the taxpayers a great deal of money. Therefore, the Village has established an inspection program to ensure that stormwater sump pumps are not “cross-connected” to the sanitary sewer system. If you would like more information on this program, please contact Utilities Superintendent Terry Hawkins at (847) 883-8600.