I have a home in the midwest. The basement received about 1 foot and a half of water. We have drained the basement by renting something from Home Depot and we bought a generator since we have had no power for 3 days. Now what? I want to make sure I don't miss anything. And I don't want to claim anything on my insurance because the basement was finished but empty.
2007-08-26 13:52:46 · 10 answers · asked by JenniferE 3 in Home & Garden ➔ Do It Yourself (DIY)
3/4 of the basement has green board over wood panels. 1/4 of the basement is regular drywall for the exterior wall and insulation.
We have a sump pump and when we lost power it flooded with rain water.
2007-08-26 15:12:31 · update #1
maybe you can install a sump pump? my parents live in a flood plain and have one....
2007-08-26 14:00:02 · answer #1 · answered by Jules 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
If the water is gone the basement must be dried quickly!! Microbial growth can begin to form in as little as 72 hours. Rent an industrial de-humidifier (LGR Variety) and air movers. Place the air movers in the corners or your basement causing the air to circulate in the same direction around the walls of the basement. If your basement is large an additional de-humidifier would be a good idea. Ideally hire a professional restoration company to perform the task. The contents must be returned to pre water conditions as quickly as possible. Dispose of any press board type wood, cut drywall at a minumum of two feet above the water line and dispose of it. Professional companies will have moisture meters and hopefully thermal imaging that will be able to confirm the job has been done successfully. If mould already exists Do not use bleach. This could react with specific species of mould and produce an off gas that can be toxic. Once done a store bought de humidifier is always a good idea to leave running in basements. Good Luck!
2007-08-26 21:50:38 · answer #2 · answered by Jeremy J 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
We had a professional service come in. We unknowingly had asbestos tiles on the floor under the carpet and those had to be removed by professionals because of the hazard created once they became wet. They also had to remove some of the wall board because it had become so wet that it would have molded. You can try the bleach mixture, but depending on how long the water was in there, I would bet that the wood behind the wall got wet as well and you still have to worry about the mold issue. It wouldn't hurt to have a professional come in and check it out for you. I'm not sure insurance will do you much good anyway because a lot of policies do not cover flood damage anymore.
2007-09-02 16:55:55 · answer #3 · answered by loco-mama 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
We had this happen a couple weeks ago.... EXCEPT we had rain water AND city sewer water..(poop/pee) water... Anyway, I used a shop vac to clean up any water.. We bought a few gallons.. Around six or so and some mops/buckets and mopped the floors with a strong solution of bleach water.. We bought some Patton Fans for around $40 apiece from Target and borrowed a dehumidifer.. To dry out the basement.... We also wiped the walls down... Keep the fans running for a few days to circulate air and keep mold/mildew from forming... The dehumidifer will help dry out the basement as well. .Good luck
*We because of the "nature" of the water had a professional outfit come and inspect the area and they said we did such a nice job that they didn't really need to do anything.. They left an industrial dehumidifer and some fans and charged us $500.....
2007-08-26 21:01:07 · answer #4 · answered by pebblespro 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you own your home you can still file a claim with your home owner insurance company. There is still a good amount of damage to the walls,floor and possibly the ceiling from this water loss. That much moisture in a basement can cause things that did not come in contact with the water to become damaged, especially ceiling tiles and other porous materials that were in the basement but not in direct contact with the water. I'm a true blue do-it-yourself-er but you would be better served by calling a professional or your insurance company.
2007-09-01 09:51:41 · answer #5 · answered by Handy but Perplexed 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
i would wash anything that was in contact with the water with a mix of bleach and water. i believe 50-50 mix should do it. that will help prevent mold from growing. our basement flooded often and we had a mold problem-bad. we bought a dehumidifier to keep moisture out of the air and we put gutters on the house. both have helped tremdously. we have the dehumidifier set on 6 hrs on, 6 hrs off, 6hrs on, etc. we never turn it off. it is also hooked up to a serge protected outlet. if mold might be an issue, there are mold detection kits you can buy...just follow the directions. good luck!
2007-08-26 21:08:21 · answer #6 · answered by mclass920 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you have basement ,you must install draining system for basement ,the pump are design for crawl space and basements must at least connect at 2 point (entry and middle) to the waste water system .
2007-08-26 22:54:57 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
what kind of floor and walls does the basement have 1st of all?
2007-08-26 21:01:17 · answer #8 · answered by corkerm65 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
invest in a dehumidifyer to get the moisture out of the walls and floors. if you neglect this, you could get mold.
2007-09-01 11:47:16 · answer #9 · answered by Waiting for Change 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Neighbor hood swimming lessons?
2007-08-26 21:01:23 · answer #10 · answered by Snoonyb 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋