What To Do When a Wet Basement Happens & How to Prevent It

It's a nightmare for any homeowner if their basement floods. In addition to making your basement unusable, a basement flood can ruin your belongings and put your health at risk.

If you have water in your basement, you need answers: what caused it and how can you stop it?

What causes a flooded basement?

Without basement waterproofing, all basements are at risk of flooding. Below are some of the most common causes of flooded basements:

Plumbing leaks

There could be a burst or leaking pipe, a leaking waste line, a broken washing machine supply hose, or a leaking water heater or tank.

Leaky basement windows

Water may leak into the basement through and around your windows if your window wells fill up with water (from a flooded yard or clogged gutters).

Leaky basement foundation

Probably the most common reason for basement flooding. Excessive amounts of rain, poor yard drainage, and sewer backups are common culprits behind a leaky foundation.

 

Four simple steps to take when your basement floods

You can restore your home to its pre-flood condition and protect it from future flooding by following these steps.

Step 1: Stay safe

Don't risk serious injury if your basement floods. Flooded basements pose a serious health and safety risk.

To keep your family safe if your basement floods, follow these rules.

• Avoid venturing down into the basement if possible.
• Never touch electrical wiring or fixtures.
• Have standing water pumped out as soon as possible.

Step 2: Determine the cause of your flooded basement

Sometimes the source of unwanted water is obvious –as with a burst water line, for example. In other cases, water may be leaking into your basement in different areas.

Our waterproofing specialists can explain what causes basement water problems and how a waterproofing system works to keep the basement dry.

After the water has been pumped out of your basement, contact our office for a free waterproofing consultation and estimate.

1-910-299-0198

Step 3: Remove water-damaged items

Are there wood-framed walls finished with drywall in your basement? If so, the lower section of these walls is likely to retain moisture and attract mold – even without a major basement flood.

When you contact our office, our customer service team can tell you all about our innovative EverLast™ half-wall replacement system, which enables you to replace only the moisture-damaged and mold-prone lower wall section with an attractive and waterproof wainscot treatment.

Step 4: Install an effective waterproofing system

Southeast Foundation and Crawl Space Repairs waterproofing products, such as our patented interior drainage systems and sump pumps, provide the most effective basement waterproofing system available. Our sump pumps are designed to handle major water volume and we have battery backup systems available to keep your basement dry during a power outage.Even a single basement flooding experience is one too many. 

Take steps to protect your home - contact us now to schedule a free waterproofing consultation and estimate.