Steps You Should Take if Your Basement Floods

1/21/2020 (Permalink)

Water can make its water into lower levels of a house through cracks in the foundation.

If you walk down to the basement in your Austin, TX, home, water is one of the last things you want to see. Unfortunately, flooding is not uncommon in this area of a house. Water can get into basements in many ways. Luckily, there are effective measures you can take to clean it up and get your home back to normal.

Causes of Basement Flooding
Water can make its water into lower levels of a house through cracks in the foundation. Because the basement is located partially or entirely beneath the surface, groundwater could be right outside. Foundation problems can allow water to seep inside. Other typical ways a basement flood starts include:

Sewer backup
Broken water heater
Leaky or broken pipe
Poor drainage or insufficient rain gutters

Get Out
If you spot water in your basement, stop the water source if possible. Then, shut off the electricity and get out of the house. If it's safe to do so, move materials out of the water and to higher ground. However, if black water has gotten into the home, never get near it.

Make the Calls
When flooding occurs at home, you should immediately call city utility crews if the main water line or sewer backup caused the issue. Next, get in touch with a professional flood cleanup team to remove the water. You should next contact your homeowner's insurance to discuss filing a claim.

Let the Pros Take Over
If there is no black water in the basement, and if the flooding is small, grab a wet vacuum and extract the water. You can also set wet items out to dry. For more widespread or dangerous flooding, let the professionals handle it. Specialists will remove the water, thoroughly dry the area and sanitize all affected parts of the basement. Crew members can also tear out ruined materials and take care of pipe repair.

The effects of flooding can be devastating. You can minimize the damage by following these steps and getting help from a professional company.