Flooded Basement

Flooded basements can cause homeowners a lot of havoc. Water may leak in from the walls and the floor and also from ducts and vents that have not been sealed properly.  The water has no way out if the home hasn’t been properly constructed. Flooding can also result in bad odors and slime. A little effort in maintaining a dry basement can prevent basements from getting flooded in case of heavy rainfall or excessive snow melting.

Flooded Basements 101

There are several things you should be aware of if your basement is flooded.  First, before entering a flooded basement, ensure that the electricity and gas ducts and valves have been turned off.  Wear waterproof boots if possible. Often you cannot see things on the floor you may step on. Doors and windows should be opened to allow fresh air to circulate through the basement. Structural damages to walls need to be checked both from the inside and outside. Preventive measures such as sealing joints between walls and floor and moving drainage pipes away from low lying areas around the house can prevent flooded basements before they occur.

Steps to Handle a Flooded Basement

The first and foremost step in restoring a flooded basement to normalcy would be to pump out the water. This can be done using a gas pump or one that has been connected to an electric line outside the house. Connecting a pump to the electric system in the house may prove to be hazardous. As a structural precaution, care should be taken so that the water is not pumped out too quickly from the basement; this may result in the walls being pushed up leading to structural damages. If you have more than a few feet of standing water, pumping out the water should be expanded over a span of a couple days. (Most home use water pumps will take a while anyway.) Once the water has been pumped out, the actual cleaning process begins. If you’ll be cleaning the basement, you will need to wear protective gear such as gloves and boots. Start by picking out contaminated and wet garbage from the floor; using a shovel is recommended.  Check for any debris or mud on the floor. Floors and walls can also be hosed to clean them up if they are already damaged to the point where more water won’t hurt. The basement needs to be dried out using a heating system or a dehumidifier before moving items into the space. If water has gotten to studs in a finished basement, they will take many days to completely dry. If you have wall damage to sheetrock, plaster, paneling or whatever, removing the damaged parts will help the wall structures dry. This must be done soon to avoid mold growth, which can be a real health hazard.

Flooded Basement Repair

A lot of structural damage can occur in a basement after a flood. Buckled walls, settled or heaved floors, cracked walls will need immediate repair. If there is any sign of foundation damage, a structural engineer is the only one really qualified to asses the damage and determine how to fix it. Your local building inspector may offer advice also. Cracks on walls require special equipment, especially since they may lead into more serious structural damage to the walls in the future. A cracked or heaved floor may need to be completely replaced if it cannot be repaired.  Depending on what kind of drainage and waterproofing you have, a heaved floor can indicate water that is trapped under the house. Contacting a building professional may be required for major structural repair.