Are you stuck with water in your basement and wondering what your next steps should be? This article will give you step-by-step instructions on how to dry your basement and keep it dry for the future.
First, be sure to check if any electrical devices are still plugged into your basement walls. These can be dangerous when there is standing water in the basement, so be sure to stay away from those until the basement is dry.
Your first step is to get the water out of your basement.
You can use a sump pump to drain the water out of the basement. Keep in mind that if you do use a sump pump, the water may just end up back in your home unless you drain it to a place that won't funnel down back into your home.
Another option is to use a shop-vac to suction the water up. Make sure to dump far away from the foundation so it doesn't end up back in the house minutes or hours later.
Once you have gotten any standing water out of your basement, you'll want to dry it out as much as possible.
A dehumidifier is an excellent option for drying out your basement. Simply plug it in (to a safe outlet) and let it do its thing by drying out moisture from the air.
A dehumidifier can also help prevent mold, as the best way to prevent mold is to make sure no water remains. Along with a dehumidifier, you can purchase mold-reducing products that will stop mold from producing after water damage. Make sure to remove any damaged materials and furniture, as mold can grow on an assortment of surfaces.
If you decide to keep your furniture, make sure it has been completely dried. Again, you don't want mold to grow or for the wood structures to rot out from the water damage.
Water can cause a lot of damage. It's important to check to see how much damage has occurred and what damaged items you'd like to replace. Homeowners insurance oftentimes does not cover water damage that comes from a source outside of the home. It's best, however, to check with your homeowners insurance company to be safe.
Don't forget to check under carpeted areas and behind furniture!
If there was standing water, be sure to clean any items that were touched by the flood water, as it can oftentimes be dirty and even muddy.
Wood will sometimes need to be replaced, even if it doesn't seem wet from the outside. Wood can by dry on the outside and wet on the inside.
After you have dried out your basement, it's vital to diagnose how the water came into your basement in the first place.
Sometimes it comes up through hydrostatic pressure from beneath your home's foundation, and other times it is heavy rains that cause the water table to rise too high surrounding your home. You may even see a pipe burst and cause a wet basement (homeowners insurance does cover this often). Or there are simply too many cracks in your basement floor that are letting water go straight through.
Whatever the case, be sure to figure out how the water came into your basement so you know how to come up with a battle plan for the future.
Once you figure out how water entered your basement, it's important to put measures in place so it doesn't happen again. Basement waterproofing systems come in several shapes and sizes. The best way to figure out which waterproofing system you need (if any at all) is to contact a professional waterproofing team to have it checked out. Oftentimes, basement waterproofing companies will offer free estimates, so it can't hurt to give one or two a call to look over your basement.
