Composting at Home

My Basement is Flooded. What Now?

July 30, 2009

This summer an unusually large number of consumers are facing a somewhat atypical problem for “dry” Colorado. Because of an uncharacteristic wet few months, combined with buckets of rain from severe weather that developed quickly Monday night July 20^th, followed by several days of overcast rainy weather and the predication of more to come,many metro area families are knee deep in water downstairs. What do you do? How do you know when it’s time to call in an expensive restoration crew vs. cleaning the mess up yourself? What follows are the 10 things to do when faced with a flood.

The first time you enter a flooded room you want to exercise caution and that means first and foremost, make certain the electricity is turned off at the breaker box. You will want to wear rubber boots and gloves when you enter the basement and start by getting all electrical appliances and extension cords out of the water.
Now you will obviously want to try and stop the water from coming in. Sandbags around window and doors is the best way to stop the water from entering. If the water doesn’t stop after sandbags are used and the water keeps coming, discontinue trying to stop the water.
It’s time now to immediately start moving furnishings, cloths and belongings to a higher level. There will be less chance for mold to grow without your belonging sitting there soaking wet. If important papers get wet, freeze them until you have dealt with the immediate problem at hand and have the time to work with them properly.
Don’t forget as you progress though the process of assessing your damage, make certain to document everything with photos or video. You should also contact your insurance agent as soon as possible.
Now it’s time to think about mold because time is of the essence. You have about 48 hrs before mold starts to grow. At this point ask yourself, should I proceed with clean up or call in an expert?
The job is too big for the typical home owner if the sewer as backed up and you have raw sewage in your home. If that happens call your local municipality or a contractor. Another time to leave it to the experts is if you notice power lines down. In this case get out of any wet areas immediately and call an electrician or the city.
If you are fairly certain you’ve escaped the horror of a sewer back up then doing clean up yourself is easy and will save you lots of money. Some of the supplies we suggest at Ace include: gloves, masks or protective gear, pails, mops, squeegees and plastic bags, containers for wet clothing and bedding, extension cords, wet/dry shop vac, submersible utility pump, blower fans and a dehumidifier.
Start washing and drying everything you can using a hot sanitizing cycle on your washing machine and dry clean heat sensitive materials. You’ll also want to put dishes through the dishwasher on hot cycle.
For the water, remove it and then dehumidify damp areas. A portable submersible utility pump and a wet dry vac should do the job. Next step is to use a high capacity, low temperature dehumidifier to take care of the moisture. It is important to open windows and ventilate rather than turning the heat up and using fans. High heat with the addition of a fan is an invitation to grow mold spores and spread them around the house. While you are certainly going to be anxious at this point to get things dry quickly, don’t be too anxious because it could cause wood floors to warp and buckle.
Lastly, when you’re finished cleaning up, if water has gotten into any portion of the electrical system, an electrician should be called to inspect. Additionally, if water has entered any portion of the HVAC system (heating and air conditioning,) it should be inspected by an HVAC expert. You will want to replace all filters and switches and know that a burnout of the furnace motor may be imminent if it’s gotten wet. You’ll also want to make sure your plumbing and toilet facilities are working. The last thing you need at this point is a toilet to overflow.

Remember, water can come into your home a variety of ways: through a crack or leak in your basement walls, a blocked connection between your home and the main sewer in the street or a combination of wastewater and rainwater back-up over flow. One product you might consider if you’ve got a leaky wall is a specialty paint that has sealing properties. To prevent window wells from filling with water, cover them with plastic well covers or a sheet of plywood that leans against the house. You’ll also want to double check that your downspouts allow water to flow freely a few feet away from the foundation and it should have a clear unobstructed path that leads it well away from the house.

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