A sump pump is designed to protect the lower levels of your property from flooding and water damage. When it fails, you have no line of defense against flooding resulting from internal leaks or unforeseen events like storms. When faced with a similar situation with a lot of standing water in the basement, your immediate next step should be to seek professional water damage cleaning and restoration services. Follow these sump pump failure cleanup tips from Ram Restoration.
Step 1: Switch Off the Main Switch
While there are several reasons why standing water is a safety hazard, one of the biggest threats associated with it is the chances of electrocution. The slightest of exposures to electrified water can prove fatal for humans and animals. Therefore, you should always shut the main switch to cut the power supply before entering the space. In fact, even to shut off the power supply at the meter, you should rely on a professional.
Step 2: Cut Water Supply
If the flooding originally resulted from a leak in the plumbing system, you’ll also need to shut off the main valve to cut the water supply.
Step 3: Remove Standing Water
Remember, the longer the floodwater is allowed to sit on the ground, the more contaminated it will become and the greater damage it will cause. Therefore, the water damage restoration professionals you hire must respond quickly to your emergency call and remove excess water from your property as soon as possible. They’ll use wet vacuums, pumps, and industrial-grade fans to eliminate the standing water.
Step 4: Cleaning the Affected Area
The next step is to thoroughly clean and decontaminate the affected area. Since the situation can involve health risks from black water contamination and mold infestation, it’s important to approach this step with caution.
Again, look into a water damage remediation professional to complete this job with proper protective gear and safety equipment. The cleaning equipment they use is not only safe but also highly effective and efficient in cleaning dirt and other debris, decontaminating the space. We take water damaged items and remove, clean, and dry them. If we can’t restore the items, like carpeting, we throw them out. Also, they’ll address any repair needs once the affected area has been properly cleaned.
Step 5: Drying
Finally, you need to know that mold grows once we remove the water damage. Hence, drying the space is just as important as eliminating moisture and cleaning in recovering your home. Air out the area by opening all doors and windows and use a dehumidifier to get rid of any leftover moisture. Using fans that allow airflow to enter is also a great solution.
To sum it up, sump pump failures often lead to a problematic situation. You can always deal with minor water damage issues on your own, but with more than 2 to 4 inches of standing water in the basement, it’s best to leave the job to the professionals. To seek professional sump pump failure cleanup services, reach out to Ram Restoration.
