Do you know what to do when your basement floods and how to prevent future floods in Central Houston?

When you have the unfortunate nightmare of being faced with a flooded basement, it can ruin your personal property and also create safety hazards and serious health risks and make your basement unusable!

Do you know what caused your basement to flood and can you prevent it from happening again?

Any and All basements are capable of flooding. Have you considered having your basement waterproofed. These are the most common causes of basement flooding:

• Sewer drain back up - one of the most common reasons, a sewer line backup from municipal lines or a clogged sewer line can come up through your basement sewer drain.

• Leaky Basement windows – Window wells fill with water either form overflow of clogged gutters or a flooded yard and can invite itself right into your basement through the basement windows.

• Foundation Leaks – the most common type of basement flooding due to poor yard drainage during a heavy rain or sewer backups.

• Plumbing leaks – leaking or burst pipes, leaking waste lines, leaky water heater/tank, or perhaps a washing machine supply line.

What to do when your basement floods!

• If your flood is more than an inch of water, you should remain out of the basement until the water is pumped out. The water will contain some type of bacteria.

• If you have to go into your flooded basement, wear rubber boots (waterproof). Use a battery-operated flashlight! Never touch or use electrical devices to avoid electrical shock or electrocution!

• Call a professional water restoration company to have the water pumped out as soon as possible to prevent further water damage.

• Remove water damaged items. Anything porous such as rugs, furniture, and anything containing wood may need to be disposed of. If your basement is finished and has wood frames and/or drywall, the lower portions of these materials may need to be replaced if not restored immediately to prevent mold growth.

Prevention!

If you can, determine the cause of your flooded basement. The source of the unwanted water isn’t always obvious like witnessing a broken or leaky pipe, etc. Water may be coming in from several sources (maybe several at the same time) including your foundation.

Waterproofing: Contact professionals to find out how you can prevent future flooding. This could require back flow devices for your floor drains, installing or repairing a sump pump or other types of drainage systems.