Check out these tips for preventing and cleaning basement flooding.
Anyone who accidentally dropped their cell phone in the toilet or a pool knows the pain of getting water on it when it’s not meant to get wet. Homeowners feel more pain when their entire basement is submerged in water. You may be uncertain of the ideal way to deal with a flooded basement if you have never experienced it. Check out these tips for preventing and cleaning basement flooding.
Safely Turn Off Your Home’s Electricity
Homeowners must know the foundation basement flood safety: avoid entering a flooded basement without taking certain precautions. Any time the basement floods, your first step is to turn off your home’s electricity. Even a minor amount of water can damage areas of your home’s electrical system and put you at risk of electrocution or fire. In addition, you may shut off the electricity in your circuit breaker box if it’s not in the basement. Otherwise, you must call an electrician who can eliminate your home’s electrical meter from the socket.
Inspect for Contaminated Water
Secondly, you’ll want to determine the water from the basement flooding is infected, dirty, or contaminated. Leaks from internal sources such as refrigerators, sinks, and washing machines are usually safe to work around. However, you might want to use protective items to prevent water from directly touching your skin to avoid irritants.
On the other hand, floods or sewage backups from natural disasters can lead to bacteria or viruses. Extra disinfection and precautions will need to ensure your basement is safe and no longer at risk if the water is contaminated.
Determine If You Need a Water Damage Specialist
Since basement flooding is costly for homeowners, you might be prone to attempt and save money. While this is fine for minor flooding, basement flooding is often best left to a water damage specialist like North Arundel Contracting. You shouldn’t attempt to clean up contaminated water on your own. Additionally, removing a significant amount of water (whether clean or not) might be difficult without professional-grade equipment. Otherwise, consider hiring a plumber or us for water removal.
Preventing Basement Flooding
Experiencing water damage can be overwhelming for homeowners, but it’s not impossible. Although basement flooding isn’t always preventable, there are things you can do to minimize the likelihood of this happening again. Some ways include pushing water away from your home or waterproofing your basement.
One easy and important task to reduce water pooling against your home is regularly cleaning your gutters or adding downspout extensions if they aren’t flushing water away from your house. Also, ensure you regularly maintain and check for problems if you have a sump pump. Since the basement is always prone to flooding in most homes, always address plumbing issues right away before they become significant in the long run.
QUESTIONS? NORTH ARUNDEL CONTRACTING IS HERE TO HELP!
If you have more questions about our services for your home or commercial facility, North Arundel Contracting is here to help you out. Our trained professionals can teach you everything there is to know about emergency and general contracting services. Call us any time at 410-766-2855 or reach us by fax at 410-553-2367. Feel free to send us an email at [email protected]. For after-hours emergencies, call us at 410-541-0328. For tips, tricks, and to see what we have been up to, be sure to follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.