Snow & Ice Melt Causing Flooded Basements Throughout the Northeast.

Snow & Ice Melt Causing Flooded Basements Throughout the Northeast.

Steps you can take to protect yourself now:

1) Make sure to remove all snow around basement windows. Sand bagging in front of doors and windows where water is likely to come in.

2) Purchase a "floor sucker" pump that you could connect a garden hose and pump water off the floor down to an 1/8". There is no need to break the floor with this type of pump.

3) If you have a sump pump - NOW is the time to test it and make sure it is clean and ready to go. You may want to install battery back up protection to your electrical pump or install a 2nd sump pump that will operate on 12 vt battery power.

4) Make sure to seal up any basement wall cracks - these are known to cause unwanted ground water into your basement. Purchase DIY Foundation Crack Repair Kits

5) A five gallon wet-dry shop vac is great item to have to remove small amount of water if it happens to come in, however be careful that you don't hurt yourself by emptying the water out of the shop vac. Water weigh about 8 pounds per gallon. Some people will empty the shop vac by using a small pump like a floor sucker to pump the water outside away from the foundation.

6) If you are experiencing basement flooding - there are expertly trained contractors throughout the USA and Canada who can help you solve a flooded basement and design a system to help you so you won't have to deal with flood again.  See Flooded Basement Contractors

Install a High Water Alarm In Your Sump Liner

The best thing you can do to protect yourself from a flooded basement is to install a high water sump alarm in your sump liner. This alarm will alert you before your basement is flooded, whether it is because of power loss or pump failure.
To learn more High Water Alarm

High Water Alarm

Some flooding in basements can be minimized if one would install a high water alarm near laundry sinks, toilets, and sump pumps. The best one I have seen out there is the Pro Series High Water Alarm. I recommend it because it is very loud and runs on a 9 volt battery. It is very inexpensive at $12.50 You can purchase right online at http://www.basementdepot.com

What To Do When Your Basement Floods

When your basement (cellar) floods it is important that you act quickly. The sooner you address the problem the greater chance you have to minimize the damage. Water left in a basement can cause mold to grow and affect the top floors of your home.
Step 1: Make sure all electric is turned off before you walk into a flooded basement. (Call a professional basement waterproofing contractor)
Step 2: It is important to install a portable pump hooked up to a garden hose. (we call them floor suckers) It is better to remove the water from a flooded basement slowly rather than quickly. Removing water too quickly from the basement can cause structural damage to your foundation walls. There are also some pumps that sit outside the basement that run on gas and draw the water up from the basement.
Step 3: If you basement is finished it is important to call a professional basement drainage contractor as soon as possible to assess your basement and provide you with a permanent solution so your basement doesn't flood again. To find a reputable contractor visit http://www.basementdepot.com/
Step 4: Remove all organic materials that has gotten wet such as sheetrock, wood studs, carpeting, etc.
Step 5: DO NOT REFINISH YOUR BASEMENT WITH ORGANIC MATERIALS. Visit http://www.homebasementfinishing.com/ to learn how to finish a basement properly.
Step 6: Set up dehumidifier(s) to totally dry out your basement space. Keep running them until the relative humidity is below 50%. You can purchase a hygrometer (to measure the relative humidity) on http://www.basementdepot.com/ in the basement depot shopping mall.

Winter Storms Can Cause Flooded Basements

Many people will say to me " Steve, I don't even get water in my basement". Winter storms will sometimes cause a basement to leak when it has never leaked before and this is why - Snow will come down on frozen ground, then rain and sleet comes when a warm front comes right behind. This scenario can cause a basement to flood very badly. It is IMPORTANT for every below ground space to have a basement sump pump along with a second pump which can operate when the power goes out. Power outages are very common when this "perfect storm" occurs - Snow/sleet/rain and ice on tree branches cause a lot of power outages in the winter months.
Don't ignore that your basement space is below ground, remember it isn't "if your basement leaks but rather when it will leak."

The best dual sump pump system I know of is the Deluxe Grate Sump Package. See it on www.grateproducts.com Homeowners can have a local Grate Products Authorized Contractor install this system.

Back Up Sump Pumps

Back Up Sump Pump Systems have come a long way in recent years. There are some great units out there today that can protect your basement from flooding. I like the PHCC Pro Series 2400 by Glentronics. It has a great controller that alerts pump failure and power failure while operating on DC power for 7.5 hours per battery. With a jumper cable you can link two batteries giving 15 hours of continuous pumping. Check out the unit at http://www.grateproducts.com/ under Grate Sumps

What To Do When Your Basement Is Flooded

There are some safety concerns when your basement is flooded.

1)Be sure all electricity to the house is off. Before walking across the basement floor - check and makes sure no power or appliance is on.

2)It is important to remove the water in the basement in stages. Water removed too fast from a basement may cause the foundation walls to collapse.

3) Make sure that the water you are pumping out of the basement is directed in a way that does not cause a safety hazard. For example, do not allow ground water to be pump into the street in winter months as it could freeze and cause a dangerous situation.