Basement Water Damage

One of the worst things that can happen to a homeowner is to return home, whether it is from a vacation, a short trip or from work to find basement water damage. Basement water damage is a prevalent issue in the Midwest where water tables are higher and the weather is humid as well. Basement water damage can range from minor water seepage through the foundation to flooding from various factors including frozen and broken pipes, leaking water tanks or water softeners, broken pressure tanks or flooding from local rivers and lakes or a failure of your sump pump system.

A much worse incidence of basement water damage occurs with a failure or overflow of your septic system. This can cause gray water and even raw untreated sewage to back up through floor drains, toilets, bath tubs and sinks. No matter what circumstances create basement water damage, the first step is to try to remove as much of the water as possible with either mops or a wet/dry vacuum. Your next immediate step is to contact your insurance company to find out exactly what is covered. In many instances flood damage is not covered unless you have a mechanical failure in your house like a sump pump failure.

Your sump pump system is designed to pump out excess water that comes in through your outside drainage system and flush it to a lower lying area. I had a situation where the creek behind our house rose enormously high during some acute condition of heavy rainfall that it blocked the exit pipe for the sump pump and water backed up in the sump well to flood the basement.

We had over 3 inches of water that left water marks on the baseboards (we had stained cedar wood), water marks on the legs of all the furniture and stains on the concrete part of the basement that was not carpeted. Fortunately, the carpeted area was indoor outdoor carpet with no padding, so it only needed to be vacuumed and dried and then treated with a proper cleaning and deodorizing solution.

One of the biggest problems involved with basement water damage lies in the probability of developing molds on the surface. With situations around the country showing people coming down with fatal respiratory diseases associated with black mold, preventing mold from getting a foothold in your basement should be a priority. Remember that there is a big difference between water damage in a basement and ceiling water damage for example.

The most important key to prevent the growth of mold is addressing the water and humidity quickly. Mold will take hold within 48 hours if the conditions are wet enough. Attacking the situation with haste by removing the water and then drying out the area with fans and dehumidifiers is essential.

While you can tackle a small amount of water yourself with minimal cost, you should contact your homeowners insurance carrier and file a claim if you have never filed a claim in the past. Be rest assured that your premiums will rise if you end up making more than one homeowners insurance claim in five years.

The services of a qualified water damage and restoration company can run over five thousand dollars for the best results. Your insurance company will give you a recommendation but you are not obligated to use that company. Check out the many companies like Stanley Steamer, QuickDry and other nationally known companies that provide water mitigation and restoration services. It's all about repairing water damage at the end of the day.

If your basement water damage was created by some sort of pipe or water related device like the water softener, water heater and pressure tank, then you need to hire the services of a plumber to fix the water damage problem before the water restoration people can begin their job of getting your house back to its original shape and form. The more you can do before they arrive will reduce the total cost of your restoration.

You will be charged for the water removal, daily rental of high velocity drying fans, daily rental of the commercial dehumidifiers and how many trips they need to make to check the equipment. If you can get most of the water up yourself first, they will not need as much time to suck the rest of the water out of your carpet, and the drying time will be shorter as well. In the case of basement water damage, the best advice is to get away with the problem right away.