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Flooded basement is a nightmare especially when it’s your own home that is involved. You might want to start pumping out water immediately just so you could protect your home from further damage. But is it the best thing to do?

water damage restoration from your basement is a science. You cannot just pump out water without planning your course of action.

You have to consider first several things before pumping out water, one of which is your own safety. Return only to your house if your area has been declared as safe. Do an initial inspection of the perimeter of your house to ensure that there is no probability of cave-ins or collapses.

Before venturing on your own and wallowing on your flooded basement water damage restoration project, make sure that you have turned off the main electrical supply. Keep in mind that water is a good electrical conductor.

Turn off also your main gas valve. Gas leaks are common occurrences in flooded basement and could lead to poisoning and even fire. Open all your windows to hep dissipate moisture as well as gas should have leaks. This would also help protect your basement from build up of musty odor. Of course, make sure that water has already subsided outside. It would be pointless to pump out water if there is still water outside your home. This could only lead to a back flow of water.

If you would be using a gasoline-powered pump, make sure that you set it outside your house. Fumes from this type of pump can cause suffocation and even poisoning. Remove about a foot of water from your basement. Place a mark on the water level and leave it overnight. The following day, check if the mark that you made is still visible. If it is no longer visible, it means that it is still too early to pump out water from your basement. Wait for twenty hours and repeat the steps mentioned.

If the mark indicating the water level remains visible, you may start pumping out water. Make sure to do this slowly as there is a possibility that your house’s foundation or basement walls could crumble due to the unequal outside and inside pressure. You can begin with two to three feet of water. Mark the water level and leave it overnight. Check if the mark remains visible or not.

Continue with these water damage restoration steps until you are able to pump out all water from your flooded basement. While pumping out water from your flooded basement, do not disregard the state of your walls. Check it every now and then for any cracks, leaks and bulges. This could indicate that there is water pressure coming from outside of your flooded basement and that, at any time, your walls could collapse.

When you have completely pumped out the entire flood from your basement, you may now sanitize your walls and floors to prevent mold as well as fungi from growing.

This might seem to be time-consuming but your efforts could ensure that your house does not suffer from flooded basement and additional structural damage.