Perform Water Damage Restoration On Flooded Basement Yourself
The flooding of basements is no news and this occurs even if the work is complete or it is just left in partial status. What happens during the flood is that if the pores in the storm gutter or the down spouts get clogged for some reason, the water starts collecting all around the house making it a mess.
This article will help you to clean the flooded basement on your own and follow this step by step procedure religiously.
Those who are already know about this water damage restoration idea usually have a sump pump installed for extracting the water. In case your building is prone to settlement cracks or has developed stress cracks recently, you may not know the real status of the foundation and water might get start flowing in, mandating water damage restoration, long before you sense something wrong.
If ever faced with a flooded basement, rush and throw away the water without thinking of anything else. The lucky ones who find the flood water in small amounts can just wipe the water using a mop or cloth. On the other hand if water damage restoration is imminent the the basement is probably totally threatened by the flooded water. You will have to take a totally different course here. Mopping cloths, mops, tosels, etc will need to be be replaced by special gadgets to suck up and remove water.
Those of you who frequently experience flooded basement should be well prepared in advance to take the action in the right time before it aggravates the problem. First of all such houses should be fully equipped to deal it efficiently and that means that the house owner should make arrangement for gadgets like wet pump or portable sump pump or wet shop vacuum. Those houses that are highly prone to floods should already have these equipments and the others can either take it from their friends or buy a new tool from the local store or even take it on rent.
These tools that are used to performa water damage restoration in a flooded basement must be functional and in ready to use state. For instance, if you intend to use sump pump, then the basement should already be having outlets to dispose the flooded water. In most cases the sump pump cannot directly reach for the outlet and for this purpose a large hose pipe should connect it to the basement outlet.
When you go for wet vacuum, then you should be aware of the fact that the holding receptacle must be emptied frequently in minutes. As this equipment can suck more water in a single stroke, it becomes too bulky and it becomes difficult if you have to lift this heavy vacuum all the way to outside the house. So, don't jump into some water extraction equipment and buy what you find easy to operate in flooded basement.
Once you get settled with the equipment, kick start the water elimination process instantly. It is suggested to remove the water from those areas first that are liable to immediate water damage and can pose a problem. You choose the route based on the severity of the situation. You can also try to remove water from the high lying areas that are relatively safe from water and then progress towards the areas that have little water and so on.
After removing the water from the flooded basement, comes the drying process. Time is the key and you have to act briskly without wasting any. Leave all the windows open for free air circulation. This will accelerate the drying. Alternatively, you can opt for dehumidifiers to remove the lingering moisture. When you use dehumidifier make sure that all the windows and doors are properly closed and the flooded basement has no contact with the outer atmosphere. The holding compartment of the dehumidifier should be emptied frequently to increase the efficiency. Go ahead with the water damage restoration dehumidifying process until the entire area is damp free.
Article Source: Daily Digest Magazine
About the Author
Osmund Aft is a homeowner advocate on water damage for Scarsdale, NY Water Damage Restoration and residential water damage restoration company