Wednesday, August 5, 2015

What Homeowners Should Know If You Are Dealing With A Flooded Basement

By John Pattrico


There are many emergencies that homeowners can face. One of the most difficult to deal with can be a flooded basement. This is because there are so many reasons why this kind of event can occur and so many wide-ranging effects that a flood can bring with it. Here are some tips that you can use to deal with the situation if you should find that your basement has become full of water.

While your home's location can definitely affect whether or not you will experience a flood, the fact is that this is only one way to prevent flooding. You need to be aware that there can be many different reasons why a house will end up with large amounts of water in the basement.

While the visible damage to items and furniture is the most obvious problem you may be dealing with, there are other issues which you need to keep in mind. Some of the water will soak into flooring and walls. It can damage drywall, carpets and other flooring. If it is not dealt with properly, mold and rot can set in which can cause big problems down the road.

While some homes are susceptible to flooding due to their proximity to a river or body of water, all homes may deal with this issue at one time or another. A flood may result due to a ruptured hot water tank, a pipe which has burst or even heavy rainfall that can overwhelm a property's drainage system. There are other reasons why this may occur but these tend to be the most common.

Once you have identified that there is, in fact, water flooding into your basement, you need to try and stop the flow as quickly as possible. If it is because of flooding in general, this may be impossible. If it is due to burst pipes or hot water tanks, you can simply turn off supply valves and halt the flow.

Calling your insurance company should be the next step. You need to know how they want you to handle the situation. You should also ask them if there are specific restoration companies they work with as this may make it easier for you to get payment issued when the restoration process is taking place. Keep in mind that this can be a very lengthy process.

Part of the insurance process will include assessing the damage. This usually consists of someone with experience in this area coming to your home and taking pictures of your effects and your house's structure. Make sure you find out what kind of coverage they will give you for restoration and which companies they want you to work with. The restoration process may take some time and you should be prepared to have your basement be out of commission for some time.

You may find that you never have to deal with flooding but you cannot expect that you will avoid this issue. If you know how to handle the situation it won't be hard for you to get the kind of repairs you need and that your problems are dealt with as quickly as possible.




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