What To Do When Your Basement Is Flooded

When your basement is flooded you can feel so desperate and not know what to do. But you need to do something, otherwise you will have a soaked up carpet, water stains all over, mold and mildew growing and giving off nasty odors, and you might even need to repair a crack in the foundation. Water damage is serious.

Early spring is a favorite time for the basement to flood, for a variety of reasons. Some of our regular clients would have extensive basement flooding every few years, even though they had taken extensive measures to prevent it.

Ice build-up in the spring can prevent water from soaking into the ground. If it rains heavily on top of this ice barrier (and we all know Portland can get pretty wet), you will almost certainly get some carpet, wood, or even foundation water damage. The problem can come from both sides of the house, and it can be very difficult to permanently repair.

As a consequence, you may have to use high quality basement floor paint after things settle down. This will help prevent the growth of mold and mildew. If you do nothing, it is almost certain that your house will suffer from mold infestation, which is very unhealthy.

Obviously, when you have water in the basement, you need to stop the source as soon as possible. Once this is taken care of, you can address the damage and find a way to prevent it from happening again. We’ll help you with this.

The main thing to have in mind is that more severe cases will almost definitely require a professional to deal with your situation. It may be just too difficult and risky for you to DIY. Anyway, knowing about the following subjects will certainly help you, regardless of the route you take.

Here’s What You Will Learn:

French Drains
Foundation Cracks
Carpet Damage

Let’s start!

French Drains

A good solution is to use French drains around the foundation. This is an inexpensive and simple solution to a big problem. You can do this yourself, though you need to consider how much time and strength you have to put in. It does involve a lot of shallow digging, and some grunt work, but it is really not that hard.

The drain runs the perimeter of the house and can effectively stop a great deal of basement flooding. The water just does not have a chance to get past the French drains.

This was the solution in one of our team members’ friend’s cases and his water damage in the basement stopped completely. His total investment was very minimal, and he even enjoyed the physical work. He said: “I even used some cave-man technology to move some very heavy stones, using pipes and boards.”

Foundation Cracks

If you have a foundation crack from the water, take care of it ASAP. These cracks only get worse with time. Once they reach a certain size, they tend to get bigger very quickly. You many need to do some excavating to take the pressure off the wall before you can fix it. A patch will do almost nothing, because the cause is still there.

Foundation damage can outgrow your DIY capabilities very quickly. You’ll likely require professional assistance with this.

Carpet Damage

Unfortunately, you most likely will need to get rid of the carpet if it has a lot of water damage. You can try to simply hang it outside in the sun for several days to see if the water evaporates and there is no mold or mildew. If there is, you can try some commercial applications, such as the ones you find at a hardware store, or carpet store. Ammonia and water could work for you.

Basement Water Damage Restoration Portland OR

All of this sounds like too much work? Or even dangerous? It’s because it is. Basement water damage is a hard issue to fix and you’ll likely need a professional to help you out. For basement water damage restoration in Portland, OR, call Precise Water Damage Restoration of Portland now. Besides basement water damage, we can help you with:

Precise Water Damage Restoration of Portland

Monday, March 13, 2023