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vendredi 29 mai 2015

What Homeowners Need To Know If You Are Dealing With A Flooded Basement

By John Pattrico


If you are living in a house there are many things that can negatively affect your home. One of the most frustrating things to deal with is a flooded basement. This is because water in your basement can affect so many different areas of your home. If you are dealing with this issue, here are some steps you can take to make the process easier and less stressful.

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.

Water can come from inside as well as outside of a building. External sources can include flood conditions, heavy rainfall, or a sewer main backing up. Internal causes of flooding can include ruptured hot water tanks and burst pipes. Often, internal sources will mean that you are dealing with clean water whereas external sources may mean that there is contamination issues at play as well.

Figuring out where the water is coming from is the first step. Once you know, you can take steps to stop it. This may mean shutting off the water main or the flow of water to your hot water tank. It may be more difficult to deal with an influx from a sewer back up or from heavy rainfall. It can be a good idea to look at your basement and identify where to shut off mains or where there may be drainage issues and head off this issue before you experience any problems.

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.

By learning the causes for flooding in a basement as well as how to talk to insurance agents and deal with restoration companies, you may find that you turn a stressful experience to one that is unpleasant but still very manageable.




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