What to do When Your Basement Floods

With all the rain the Greater Cincinnati, Dayton, Lawrenceburg, and Alexandria areas have been receiving, we thought it would be helpful to write a paper on how to best attack removing water from basements. 

1.  Proceed With Caution

The first thing most people want to do is frantically try to recover important items out of the water. A lot of people don't realize when a basement floods, there are many dangerous obstacles that could arise, and when someone is desperate to recover important items, they could be blind to some of the hazards. Here is a checklist of things to look for before you start the recovery process:

• Electrical Hazards Including; Electronics, Circuit Breakers, Furnaces, Boilers, Water Heaters, Etc. 

(Even if it is safe to touch the water in the beginning, one slight mishap could cause an electric current in the pool of water, which is why it is important to turn off the circuit breaker)

• Toxic Chemicals in Storage that Spilled into the Water. 
• Sharp Objects Below the Surface of the Water.

2. Safely Secure Important Items

After it's safe to go into the water, your next thought should be to retrieve important items. Many people store a lot of sentimental and valuable items in their basement, so it's important to try and make sure everything of value has been secured.

3. Pinpoint the Source of Flooding

Either the water is coming intrinsically through your plumbing, or extrinsically by rain and ground water.

• If you suspect it is coming through your plumbing, it would be wise to turn off your water valve. Usually, your valve will be in the basement. If it is coming from your water heater, you may be able to turn off the water heaters valve by itself. 
• If you suspect it is coming from ground/rain water, there are steps you can take to try and stop the flow, (Note: just because it isn't raining doesn't mean it isn't ground water outside the foundation walls seeping in). For example, most homes liable to flooding usually have a sump pump. In the case your basement floods, your sump pump is probably not working correctly. Maybe it lost power, became clogged, or is defective. In any case, it would be wise to contact the supplier of the pump and try to figure out what went wrong. Here at The Basement Doctor of Cincinnati, we have an emergency service team that works 24 hours of the day to try and help people with situations like this. Special Note: If you try and use a generator to provide power to the sump pump, make sure the generators are ran outside only or with good ventilation to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. Also make sure there isn't any risk for electrical harm
• Basement windows and doors are also a big entry point for a lot of floods. It can be wise to try and displace the water coming through these entry points on the outside of the home. You can try and displace these points by making sure your gutters and downspouts are working properly. 
• Lastly, there may be a chance sewage water is coming up through your floor drain. This water is dirtier looking and will come up through the lowest basement floor drain. If this happens, call the city immediately. You may also be able to plug the drain up and or disconnect the sewer from your floor drain to stop this water from rising up into your basement.

4.  Dry the Basement

• If the water level is too high, it is recommended you call the fire department or a third party disaster restoration company. 
• If the water level is manageable, you can start by pumping out water using a wet vacuum. After that, it is important you dry out the whole basement using fans and dehumidifiers. In finished basements, you may have to cut out the lower parts of the dry wall and carpets. Here at The Basement Doctor of Cincinnati, we have finishing products that are able to get wet from time to time due to their inorganic materials, which can not grow mold. 
• It is important that you remove the water and moisture fast because moisture can quickly cause mold and stains to grow. These smells are really hard to erase once set without specific and expensive chemical treatments.

5.  Call Your Insurance Company

• Your insurance company may be able to provide some relief in situations like this. However, a lot of insurances don't cover basement flooding caused by mother nature, which makes waterproofing your basement that much more valuable.

6.  Research Preventive Measures for the Future

• Depending on the type of way your basement flooded, there are different ways to prevent it from happening again. Researching what happened to your basement is the first step you should take in the process. There is plenty of literature out there regarding this topic, just make sure you are getting your research from a reliable source like us.
• If you live in our service area, (visible on our webpage) we can offer free certified inspections regarding waterproofing! This line of work requires many years of experience, which we have! With all the different scenarios, factors, and variables regarding basements, it's important you learn from someone who is transparent!
• Below is a list of different types of products and services we provide to help homeowners with flooding:

1. Interior Perimeter Waterproofing Drains and Pumps
2. Foundation Wall Crack Repairs
3. Dehumidifiers and Air Purifiers
4. Trench & French Drains
5. Basement Windows
6. Inorganic Finishing Materials
7. Specialized Downspouts
8. Foundation Repairs