Flooded Basement

[Maryn]

I only wish this was for something I'm writing!

Our finished basement was flooded with about an inch of water yesterday when the sump pump failed. It may have stood for as much as eight hours, since it was dry in the late morning and sopping shortly after dinner.

The carpet is wall-to-wall, on a thick pad over concrete. We've soaked up what water we can with every towel in the house, but it's still sopping. You step on it and water wells up around your foot.

What, if anything, can pull the water from both carpet and pad? I'm open to carpet cleaning services, renting equipment that sucks (pun intended), hiring someone to operate equipment beyond my know-how, anything that might save the carpet and not allow moisture to start a lovely batch of mold underneath it.

Anybody got experience with a similar situation?

Maryn, not having a good day at all

[Rolling Thunder]

A shop vac will work, the wet/dry version. Also check the phone book for carpet cleaning or fire restoration (as a last resource, because they tend to be expensive.) You can also call the local rent-it center. They should have the more powerful version vacs, plus blower fans which will speed up drying.

Did you have a battery backup system or did the pump simply fail?

[dolores haze]

I live in a flood prone area.

There are specialized companies you can hire to come deal with your basement. Depending on your home insurance you can sometimes make a claim for reimbursement. Sometimes it's best to have a professional on the job.
Our local Home Depot rents out machines that will suck most of the water out of the carpet - similar to an extra powerful shop vac. Can't remember what they're called.
After that you'll need a dehumidifier, and sometimes more than one, depending on the size of your basement.
Be very aware about the possibility of post- flood mold.
Did the basement flood only because the sump pump failed? Or is basement prone to flooding even with sump pump?

P.S. Don't let your husband take the broken sump pump apart to figure out what's wrong with it unless he knows what he is doing. It's full of industrial lubricants that you will never get out of your carpet.

Dolores, flood savvy and sympathetic.

[KTC]

I would hire, Maryn. It's seriously soaked...so you don't want to try a project of this magnitude on your own. You may get the water out...but it's the final dry that counts. The one that will destroy the carpet if it's not done right.

Sorry you have to have this shitty experience.

[callalily61]

[hugs]

What everyone's already said. Especially beware of mold. When we flooded last year, we found mold a week later in odd little corners we didn't realize had flooded because the water had receded just a bit before we started to bail.

[Rolling Thunder]

Have you called your insurance company, too?

[Little Red Barn]

Maryn, After you get the mess cleaned up, I'd have a plumber come in, put a piggy back (sump) on top of the other or if your crock allows, one beside, this way you'll never have it happen again.

[sassandgroove]

Bump.

Don't know what to add, just thought I'd bump it incase someone else does.

HUG!

[Sheryl Nantus]

definitely get a professional - don't even start this type of work yourself; just save what you can and pay the money.

imo, of course.

[Maryn]

Thanks for the info, everybody. I'm waiting for a callback from a place that does all kinds of home-crisis stuff, including "water mitigation."

Maryn, with damp cuffs

[Jersey Chick]

Your homeowner's insurance should cover it. Definitely go professional - you don't want all the funk that comes with it.

Good luck! :D

[Sheryl Nantus]

just got off the phone with my hubby - who has had multiple flooding on the first floor of his parents' old house.

he says the best thing to do is literally rip it ALL up and start from scratch - otherwise you'll never get the funky smell out. And get a professional - you can do it, but unless you know what you're doing it's not worth it. They may have new things now to help be more efficient.

and just get a new sump pump - they're disposable and meant to be.

:)

[DonnaDuck]

Our basement flooded back in the summer and actually cracked the foundation to every time it rained hard, we'd get water down there. Thankfully we live in a condo complex so we just call someone and they come and fix it. What they did, hurled everything into the garage (literally, much to our chagrin) and put a couple of giant fans down there. It reeked for a while but once it was dry (took longer than it should since it was summer and humid), the funk was gone and is gone now. Then we got in the humidifier to crank out the remaining moisture and now we're good to go. Thankfully the guys came in to patch the hole in the foundation. We did have mold but it scrubs off and once you suck all the moisture out, it won't come back.

[Carmy]

If you decide not to get rid of the carpet and underlay, Home Depot sells a product that is supposed to kill mold.

Good luck! Basement flooding is one of my nightmares.