The water is rolling in! 2% of insured homes have water damage claims every year. Many of these claims involve basement floods, as basements are low-lying and are close to the water.
You should expect your basement to flood sooner rather than later. But don’t think you’re helpless to the surge of water. You can find waterproofing solutions to keep your basement safe.
How can you prevent a flood from occurring? What should you do to avoid water damage? How can you clean up your home after the fact?
Answer these questions and you can keep your basement dry for years to come. Here is your quick guide.
Prevent Flooding
The easiest flood to deal with is a flood that never happens. Inspect your basement on a frequent basis. The older your basement is, the more inspections you need to make.
A pipe can burst at any moment, but it is more likely to burst when it is old and frozen. Add insulation to your pipes and basement so you can conserve heat. Run hot water through the pipe multiple times a week and straighten any sagging parts of the pipe.
Signs of a frozen pipe include trickling water and frost growing on the outside. Turn on your faucet and try to get water moving through the pipe.
Apply heat directly to the area of the pipe with a hair dryer, an electric heating pad, or a space heater. Never use a blowtorch or an open flame, as this can damage the pipes and create a fire.
Keep Yourself Safe
Your first priority when your basement floods is to take care of yourself. If you are in the basement while it is flooding, you need to evacuate. Do not stay in the basement and try to recover your things.
Do not enter the water. You can trip over a fallen object and drown in a small puddle. Six inches of flowing water can knock you off your feet while 12 inches of water can drag vehicles and heavy pieces of furniture away.
Get out of your house, as a flooded basement can damage your foundation and cause stability problems. Get to a dry area and call 911 for assistance.
Contain the Situation
In the case of a hurricane or rainstorm, there is not much you can do to contain the situation. You can try closing windows and sealing doors, but water can still break the glass and rip doors off their hinges.
If a pipe bursts, you can try shutting the water off. You may need to call your city in order to do this.
If you took water-damaged items with you, you should lay them out so they dry in the sun. You can hang them on clotheslines or lay them out flat on your patio or driveway.
Tell the emergency responders where the power box for your house is. They should turn off the electricity running through your house as soon as possible to avoid electric shocks and damage to your wiring.
Figure Out What Happened
Determining the cause of your flood will help you reduce the damage, remove the excess water, and take steps to prevent future floods. Think about where the flood originated from. If the water came from outside your house, a pipe or sewer line may have burst or a rainstorm may have created excess water.
If you have flooding in multiple rooms, you may have multiple burst pipes. Take a look at your house’s floor map and figure out what pipes may have burst. Talk to the first responders and flood remediation experts about where these pipes are.
If water came up through the floors and walls of your basement, you may have a leaky foundation. This requires significant work to fix, so get help immediately. You may need to stay out of your house for a few days until the foundation is repaired.
Hire Experts
Pools of water can spread mold and bacteria and allow pests into your home. This makes it dangerous for you to fix your flooding problems. You should contact a repair crew as soon as possible.
Hire someone to remove the water as well as any water-damaged objects. Papers and soft materials may be hard to repair, but you can try drying them out. Objects that were in standing water for long periods of time need to be cleaned and disinfected.
You also need someone to repair the walling and flooring in your damaged rooms. Wood can soak up the water, even if there are drywall and plastic coatings over it. If your foundation is damaged, you should hire a professional in foundation crack repair.
Once the flooding emergency has passed, you should look into basement waterproofing. You can place plastic sheeting and vapor barriers in your walls, forming a tight seal that keeps water out. Your waterproofing system can include pipes that direct the water to a sump pump, which pumps the water out of your basement.
Stay Safe From Basement Floods
Basement floods are a nationwide scourge. You must take steps now to prevent them, including by insulating your pipes.
When a flood happens, you should protect yourself and evacuate. Do not enter pools of water and do not spend time trying to remove your belongings.
You can help contain the situation by closing doors and windows. Work with first responders to figure out how the flood happened. Then call professionals who can remove the water, repair damaged materials, and waterproof your basement.
Help is just around the corner. Armored Basement serves Baltimore homeowners. Contact us today.
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