What do you do when your basement floods? This is a common question asked by homeowners around the United States. If you are Googling this right now, you are looking for answers because you or someone you know has a water intrusion problem.
A flooded basement is hardly pleasant to see and smell. It’s pretty safe to say that if you have a basement that leaks or floods when it rains, you want it to stop. You need an answer that works. But first, you have to handle the damage that the water intrusion created in your basement before you do anything else. You may have valuables in your basement. TVs, gaming systems, furniture, storage, and just about anything in between. You purchased or built your house to have a basement for a purpose. You intended on using it.
However, when heavy rainfall hits and your basement begins to leak water or even flood in some cases, action needs to happen fast in order to make sure that your belongings are safe and sound. Don’t know where to start? Here are some essential things that need to be done when your basement floods.
Determine Where The Water Enters
The first step is to determine how the excess rainfall is entering your basement. For example, if you have one large basement wall that typically shows signs of water intrusion during heavy rainfall, take a closer look at the water levels that appear on the wall itself. If the water appears to be from around your waste and below (approx. 3′ and below), there’s a good chance that your french drain isn’t working properly. Moreover, the french drain could be clogged or simply malfunctioning and should be evaluated by a waterproofing professional to make sure that it works properly moving forward.
On the flip side, if the water appears to be above your waste, there’s a good chance that the excess rainfall hasn’t been properly deterred away from your basement or that you have a faulty gutter system. For example, if the land grade around your home doesn’t carry water away from your home, the excess water that can gather around your home may find a way into your basement through a top cell block. Be sure to check your gutters as well to make sure that they are not clogged and that they are extending far enough away from your foundation and basement walls to avoid water intrusion.
Get Rid Of The Water
As long as it’s not raining outside at this point, open as many exterior doors and windows that you have. Let fresh air in and water out. If you have standing water, things can be a little bit more complicated. If you have a sump pump, it’s time to use it. If not, begin soaking up the water with towels, your shop vac, or anything else that you can locate that would work. The main point is to get the water out as quickly and as safely as possible. The longer it lingers, the worse the restoration process may be.
Remove Belongings From Basement
Now that you have identified where the water is entering your basement, and began to remove it, it’s now time to begin moving your belongings as quickly as possible to a dry area. Be sure to call on help for larger items such as furniture or TVs/electronics. You don’t want to hurt yourself in the process. After all, you will need to be as physically capable as possible to move your belongings to a dry area in a timely manner. However, most of the time the damage that occurs doesn’t require this extreme step.
Place your belongings in a safe area away from any wood or other electronics that could be damaged. If you have an extra fan, this would be a great time to use it! Point it directly at your water-logged items and turn it to full speed. While you’re removing the remaining items, the drying process can be expedited.
Dry Any Carpet or Fabrics That Hold Water
After you get all of your belongings out of your basement and into a dry area, it’s time to begin drying the carpets, upholstery, and any other fabrics that may have been dampened by water intrusion. In the worst case scenario, this may mean ripping up carpet and taking down wallpaper, unfortunately. However, most of the time, carpets and belongings can be dried and restored using industrial fans designed to take care of situations such as this.
After you get everything that is wet out of your basement and begin drying it out, before you do anything else or put anything back in your basement, you should call a professional waterproofing company. If you begin to put items back in your basement and it rains again, you could be at risk for encountering the same problem again.
Call A Professional Waterproofing Company
A professional waterproofing company will come in and evaluate the situation. They should be able to provide helpful information and explanation of how your problem originated and how it can be resolved. Be sure to do your research on reputable companies as well. You don’t want a company that will use shortcuts to provide the quickest and cheapest services that fail you in the future.
There are many things in life that can be DIY’d. However, waterproofing a basement or crawlspace is not one of those things. In fact, it’s quite complicated and if not done correctly from the start, you can end up in the same predicament that you started in. If you are in Cleveland, TN or the surrounding areas, we at Stay Dry Waterproofing would love to help you permanently correct your water intrusion problem. Give us a call today for a free inspection and quote. We look forward to serving you in the future.