02 Feb. 15
How To Handle Water In Basement
Having water in your basement can cause major problems for your home. The humidity can cause wood to warp and damage the infrastructure, and if left unchecked, can erode the foundation of your home. The good news is that taking care of water in your basement is typically very easy and can be handled by your local professionals. Let’s go over some of the ways that a water damage restoration company can help remove the water from your basement, and some tips on how to prevent your basement from flooding or suffering leakage in the first place.
Getting Rid of Water in the Basement
Basements exist underground, which makes them very susceptible to flooding during heavy rain, or when rivers/lakes overflow. Dealing with major flooding like this is usually handled by the sump pump to remove excess water. Many people seem to think that a sump pump can help prevent flooding, but this isn’t the case most of the time. The purpose of the sump pump is to collect water from around the foundation, and redirect it away from your foundation. Trying to use it while the basement is still in the process of flooding may not be successful depending on how fast the water is coming in, and where you’re pumping the excess water.
If the water levels aren’t massively high, sometimes the problem can be handled with a wet/dry vacuum. This can be dangerous if there are electrical devices in the basement though so your best bet is to call the professionals to handle things for you.
Preventing Your Basement from Flooding
There are several ways to avoid flooding in your basement, some more expensive and complicated than others. The most obvious way is to not build your house or buy a house in an area that is known to flood. If this isn’t an option at this point, you’ll have to look into other options. One such option is having a check valve installed. This will get the water out of your basement when it floods and move it into the sewer. If the sewer is flooded it will hold onto it until it can be disposed of.
Another option is to use a back flow pipe. Basically the pipe will use downward pressure of water that accumulates in the pipe to push out any water that flows into your basement. It may sound complicated but it really isn’t. Regardless of which method you want to use, you should call the professionals to help you get it set up.