SERVPRO Can Help You Need to Remove Water from Your Basement

1/21/2020 (Permalink)

It’s the time of year for winter storms, which means it’s one of the prime seasons to deal with water damage. Many homeowners realize too late that basements can be one of the most common places for water damage to occur

Here at SERVPRO of Hackensack / Little Ferry we’re experts in repairing and restoring the effects of water damage. If you suddenly get hit with water damage to your basement, it’s important to know you should act quickly as possible and minimize the extent of the damage. 

Before SERVPRO gets to your home and begins the restoration, there are a few things you can do before we get there. 

Identify and Fix the Water Problem

The first step is to figure out and stop the source of the water. Whether it’s a burst frozen pipe or a sump pump that’s stopped working, you want to fix the problem ASAP.

One exception would be any groundwater flooding that is weather related. If you can prevent more water from seeping in, that’s great – but you may not be able to deal with that problem right away, in which case you should call for professional assistance and prioritize starting to remove as much water from the basement as you can.

Extract the Water

The quicker you can remove water from the basement, the more likely you will be able to salvage more. A wet/dry vac is often useful to quickly remove large quantities of water. If nothing else, start grabbing buckets and mops to bail out as much water as you can.

Remove Damaged Items and Materials

Unfortunately, no matter how quickly you start getting rid of the water, chances are there will be some items that are already damaged beyond repair. For example: paper goods, carpeting, carpet padding, other fabrics, and insulation often can’t survive severe water damage.

Once SERVPRO arrives, we will continue to extract whatever water remains and take care of your wet and damaged contents.

Depending on how long the water sits, and how much water there was, some drywall may need to be removed.

Dry

SERVPRO will have commercial fans and dehumidifiers to efficiently speed up the drying process. Still, it may take up to 1-3 days (or more) for everything to dry out properly. 

Clean

Once everything is dry, SERVPRO will disinfect everything that’s been affected in the basement to prevent contamination from mold and bacteria.

Restore

The extent of the restoration may vary depending on the extent of the damage and may be eligible for coverage from your insurance.

If you need help dealing with water damage to your basement, our expert technicians here at SERVPRO Hackensack / Little Ferry are available to help anytime 24/7. We can help you with removing water, disposing damaged items, drying, disinfecting, and any restoration necessary to return your basement to its original condition.