Basement Water Damage

Did you get water in your basement due to the storm yesterday?  Here are a few tips for handling the cleanup.

If you have a bare floor then you can use a wet vac to remove surface water and puddles.  If there is more than 1/2" of water then you will likely need to pump out the water.  Once that's done use a fan to dry out the area.  We rent carpet drying blowers, or you can purchase a box fan or carpet drying fan.  Avoid using heaters as they aren't as effective at drying out the area and can instead lead to mold growth.

If you have area carpets remove them and let them dry outside.  If you have wall-to-wall carpet it's probably a lost cause.  The padding under the carpet will need to be discarded, and it may be difficult to remove and salvage the carpet.  Once the carpet and padding is removed use a blower and wet vac to dry out the area.

If you experience occasional basement flooding you should consider adding a sump pump. These pumps sit below grade in a small pit and pump out water when it hits a certain level.  If you don't have a pit for a sump pump you probably want to get a contractor to do that work.  Remember that the pump will not work without power, so if you want to protect against power failure and flooding consider a battery operated sump pump.