Flooding In Your Basement? 7 Things You Must Do Now

Before going into the necessary to-do list to manage and prevent basement flooding, let’s talk about why the basement matters in the first place. Well, it is the foundation of a building or house. An overflowing basement can weaken the entire structure and its strength. Hence, an eroded foundation cannot withstand the building’s weight and cause more damage when natural calamities like earthquakes strike. The aftermaths can also be damaging for people living there. 

In crowded cities, apartment owners rent their basement areas for living purposes where flooding can cause them trouble. In other cases, a basement can be a storage space where homeowners keep extra stuff and even valuables. If the basement floods, it can cost them significant personal and financial loss.

Regardless of the usage, flooding can be troublesome and even life-threatening. Thus do not delay repair and wait for the water to discharge on its own. It is better to implement the needed steps and minimize damage. The following tips will help you manage and prevent flooding in your basement space.

Get professional help for water removal

In the case of an overflowing basement, getting professional help at your earliest can make a significant difference in the recovery process. Even if your basement is already overflowing, there is still time to prevent more damage. Otherwise, if you let water stay there for long, it can lead to several problems. Thus you need to speed up the water evacuation process, and for that, you need professional assistance.

Reaching out for water damage help can save your property and reduce repair time. Professionals can provide various services, depending upon the issue and extent of the damage. They can drain your basement with specialized water-sucking equipment. They can also locate the root cause, such as leakage, and mend your sewerage network. Hence, the early you seek professional assistance, the lower your damage and repair costs.

Disconnect the electricity supply

Disconnecting the electricity supply is a very crucial precaution. You may know that water is a good conductor, and a flooded basement can be lethal for any form of life, whether it’s human or animal. Water can get inside electrical sockets, and the entire basement can act as its conducting pathway. Thus you should disconnect the electricity supply of the whole building, not just the basement.

The electricity supply in the building’s upper portions can still flow to the sockets, given circuitry malfunctioning. Thus you should handle electricity problems per the safety guidelines. Similarly, until your electrician comes to assess the situation, it is better to prevent contact with electric appliances.

Locate water flooding source

There can be several possibilities for water inflow into your basement. If the source was heavy rain, locate possible entry points, such as dripping through windows, ceiling, and doors, and seal them properly. Similarly, most buildings have a water supply and discharge network in the basement. When pipes reach their wear and tear age, they cannot withstand high pressure and burst open at any time. Hence, you may not have noticed, but your house’s water supply inlets and pipes can also be sources of trouble.

Likewise, a malfunctioning gutter can also divert sewerage water towards your basement. Whatever the possibility, locating it timely and proceeding with its repair is fundamental to prevent recurring flooding.

Close all the outlets of water supply and discharge

Closing all the outlets, even the ones for water drainage, may seem an unviable step, but this works. You may wonder how. Well, water flows to space where it does not encounter any hindrance. In the case of a blocked pipeline, an opening to your basement could offer that perfect space. So if you spot water accumulating in your basement from drainage outlets, close all of them without wasting any time.

This way, you will prevent more backwater from entering the property, and removing water will also be less troubling. You can also install a discharge water valve at entry and exit points and reduce the time to handle such a situation readily and effectively.

Unblock the drainage network

Most of the time, flooding occurs because of the failure of the drainage system to drain water properly. It is because sewerage flow does not have enough pressure to unclog all the debris in the way. As a result, debris keeps pilling at some juncture and ultimately blocks the water flow.

Excess water accumulates in cases when pipelines have to discharge more flow. The impact of such clogging is troublesome during the rainy season or flooding because of water distribution fault lines. Thus the most effective solution is to unclog the hindrance. Unless you locate and clear out all the rubble, water from your basement cannot find its way out.

Clean and disinfect the flooded area

Cleaning and disinfecting flooded areas is another necessary step. It is because flooding takes with itself debris from the sewerage pathways, and merely washing your basement with water cannot clean all the leftover impurities. If you come into contact with those impurities, you can fall ill.

Thus utilize professional cleaning services for this procedure as well. Professional cleaners know cleaning agents for all sorts of surfaces. They also know how to maintain personal hygiene while carrying out disinfecting operations. They may also suggest keeping the basement non-functional for some time until its foul smell vanishes.

Consider repairing the source of flooding

If your basement flooded once, it could happen again, and every time you would have to go through the same hectic process of cleaning it. Thus it is better to resolve the issue once and for all. Since there could be a structural problem that led to water accumulation, you should think about its repair. It could be the repair of a sewerage or water distribution network. Given in-wall installation of these networks, fault repair may also involve some structural transformations of your building, so be prepared for that as well.

Also, if rain is the cause of your problem, you should facilitate its flow with smooth discharging streams away from your basement. You may also explore options like cemented channeling of rainwater and utilizing it for your garden. In the end, water cannot find its way toward the basement with a smooth passage channel.

Conclusion

Though basement flooding may seem a resolvable issue, it can cause substantial damage to your home. It can damage the property and even devalue its worth. Unexpected flooding can be hectic to manage and lead to instant distress. Thus do not overlook flooding as a temporary issue and implement a viable long-term solution.

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