How To Dry Out Your Basement

6/15/2022 (Permalink)

A flooded basement can feel like a total loss

If your carpeted basement is flooded, follow these rules:

• If the floodwater was clean (broken pipe, burst washing machine supply hose or a foundation leak), you can probably dry out and save your carpet.
• But if you had a sewer backup, washing machine drain water spill or river flood, you need professional help. Pros are the only ones with the right equipment to get your basement dry and disinfected in the shortest possible time.

Either way, act fast! If the carpet isn’t dry within 72 hours, it’ll start to grow mold. Assuming your basement was flooded with clean water, here’s how you can do the cleanup yourself.

If your home or business suffers a flood, call SERVPRO of Glastonbury/Wethersfield today at 860-633-8791 to provide immediate expert water damage cleanup

Be Safe Above All

First, turn off the power to the basement. If you’re not sure which breakers power the basement, flip the main circuit breaker. If your electrical panel is in the basement, call an electrician to turn off the power.

Next, remove any extension cords and power strips from the floor and unplug or switch off all electrical appliances (washer, dryer, HVAC)—and if your appliances or furnace was under water, call appliance and HVAC specialists before plugging any of them back in. Ask the electrician (if you hired one) to repower the upstairs and inspect the basement receptacles to determine whether it’s safe to repower them. If not, you’ll have to buy several GFCI-equipped extension cords and run power from upstairs receptacles.

Next, remove all your valuable items from the basement. The longer they sit there, the more moisture they’ll soak up, and that means mold.

Time to Extract the Water

Don’t bother trying to dry out the carpet with a wet/dry shop vacuum—it simply doesn’t have enough power. Instead, rent an extractor (if available) or carpet cleaner, an air mover fan or two, and a large commercial dehumidifier. Rent the largest dehumidifier available (the big ones can remove up to 30 gallons per day, compared with 4 gallons for the largest home units).

Move the extractor slowly across the carpet to suck up as much water as possible. Don’t rush this step! Once the water is out, peel back the carpeting (watch out for the sharp nails) and remove the wet pad. (New carpet pad is inexpensive, so don’t waste time trying to dry the old pad.)

Lay the carpet back on the floor and fire up the air movers and dehumidifier. Keep the basement temperature at or below 75 degrees—a higher temp will accelerate bacterial growth and turn your basement into a petri dish.

If your home or business suffers a flood, call SERVPRO of Glastonbury/Wethersfield today at 860-633-8791 to provide immediate expert water damage cleanup

We're Here For You

The team at SERVPRO of Glastonbury/Wethersfield has the people, skills and equipment to help homeowners recover from water damage resulting from a flood. Call SERVPRO of Glastonbury/Wethersfield at 860-633-8791 any time, day or night.

Other Helpful Blog Posts from SERVPRO of Glastonbury/Wethersfield

SERVPRO of Glastonbury/Wethersfield publishes educational articles on how Glastonbury and Wethersfield residents can protect their homes and businesses from disasters and how to deal with mold, fire, water, sewage, storm and other damage.

SERVPRO of Glastonbury/Wethersfield
We serve East Glastonbury, Glastonbury, Marlborough, Portland, Rocky Hill, South Glastonbury and Wethersfield, Connecticut.

SERVPRO of Glastonbury/Wethersfield
IICRC Certified
Noemi Garcia
Franchise Owner
Call 860.633.8791
Fax 860.216.2762
24-hour emergency service

If your home or business suffers a flood, call SERVPRO of Glastonbury/Wethersfield today at 860-633-8791 to provide immediate expert water damage cleanup