If you have a basement in your home, it might be at risk of flooding. When there is a major storm or a water line breaks in your home, it tends to be worse in the basement. Even with waterproofing, a flood can still do a lot of damage. Here are some tips to follow when you need to get water out of the basement.

Clear the Water With a Sump Pump

One of the best things you can keep in your basement is a sump pump. If you have one, you are in luck, because it will do much of the water removal for you. A sump pump is a type of water pump that collects the excess water in the basement and moves it outside of your home. You should have a proper draining area outside of your home where the water stays away from your home's structure. In most cases, sump pumps will come on automatically when they recognize the presence of water. If you already have one installed, make sure it has turned on and started doing its job. If you don't have a sump pump, you should be able to get a water pump that will perform the same function. 

Begin Drying Out the Basement

Once the majority of the water is removed from the basement, you need to start drying it out the best you can. The longer the basement remains wet, the more prone it is to mould and mildew, which is much more difficult to clean up. To air out the basement, open any windows you have, which will start bringing in air to circulate through the basement. If you have large fans, those can also be useful in getting the air around the basement more quickly, but be careful where you plug them in. You don't want the cord touching any wet areas, or you could have an even bigger problem on your hands. If the HVAC system reaches the basement, turning that on is very helpful.

Start to do Damage Control

Even if you get to the water quickly, you will probably have some damage. If you had carpeting in your basement, you need to remove it and dispose of it. It will be ruined with the amount of water that probably soaked through it. You may also need to remove and dispose of wood furniture that was in the basement, though you should look at the furniture and see if there are obvious signs of mildew. Before you turn on any lights or use electricity in the basement, have an electrician inspect it. You don't want to turn on a light or washing machine and find that it was soaking in water and risk electrocution.

If you need help getting rid of the water in your basement and keeping new water from getting in, contact plumbers in your area.