Removing water from a flooded basement, lifting the finished surfaces it reached and drying the walls and framing in Colorado Springs and El Paso County.
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A flooded basement needs more than a pump. The water has to be removed, the finished surfaces that wicked it up have to be opened, and the framing and slab have to be dried before anything is closed. Basements in Colorado Springs often have finished rooms, stored belongings and mechanical equipment, so the cleanup works through a sequence that protects each of them in turn.
Basement water in Colorado Springs has several sources. A failed water heater or a split supply line in a finished room is a common one, and it can flood a basement in an hour. Water from a storm, from a window well or from a foundation crack is another. The source decides how the water is classed and how much of the finish has to come out, so the first question at any flooded basement is where the water came from and whether it is still arriving.
A basement is a below-grade room, and water that enters it has a harder time leaving. Floors and walls hold moisture, the air is cool and still, and the water that soaked a carpet pad or a stud wall can stay there well after the surface is clear. The work that follows a basement flood is slower than the pumping, and the decisions made in the first two days decide how much of the finished space can be kept.
Do not enter a flooded basement while the water is still rising, or while the electrical panel is wet. Turn off power at the panel before walking into the room, and do not use a corded tool in standing water. Keep children out until the room has been cleared and dried.
The water heater, the supply line, the sump, the window well or the foundation crack is identified first. If the water is still coming, the source is stopped before the pumping starts, because pumping a basement that is still filling is wasted work.
Standing water is pumped out. Carpet and pad that have taken water are lifted and removed in most cases, because the pad holds a large volume of water and it smells as it dries. Lifted carpet is photographed before it is taken out.
Drywall or panelling is cut back where the moisture readings are high. The cut is kept low enough to reach the wet insulation and the bottom plate, and it is made at a height that can be patched and painted afterward.
Insulation below the water line is taken out, along with cardboard, paper and any stored item that sat in water. Metal shelving and sealed plastic bins are washed and kept. Each removed item is listed for the insurer.
Air movers and dehumidifiers are placed for the room's size and the water's path. The readings are logged on the slab, the walls and the framing until the numbers are steady and low, and the record goes to the homeowner at each check.
Because the slab, the walls and the framing hold moisture that the pumping does not remove. A pumped basement looks clear, but the readings can still be high in the wall and under the floor.
The concrete slab is a large, slow mass that absorbs water and gives it back to the room as the air warms. The stud wall and the bottom plate are wood, and they take longer to dry than the surface. A basement that is closed up early will hold the moisture against the new finish and show it as paint blistering or a musty smell.
The drying is judged by the readings at the bottom plate and on the slab edge, not by the feel of the floor. Once those numbers are low and steady, the room can be closed, and the record shows when that happened.
Hard, sealed surfaces can often be saved after they are washed. Carpet pad, wet insulation and drywall that has wicked water are generally removed, and the decision is made on the readings.
Tile, sealed concrete and metal panelling are usually cleaned and dried in place. Carpet can sometimes be lifted, dried and reinstalled if the pad is removed and the water did not reach the subfloor, but that depends on the readings. Paint and trim are judged on their condition after the wall is dry.
Drywall that was wet to the height of the water line is generally cut out, because a wall board that has soaked up water loses its strength and holds moisture long after the surface has dried.
Yes. A sudden discharge from an appliance or a supply line is generally treated differently from water that enters from the ground or from a storm, and sewer backup has its own rules.
The Colorado Division of Insurance is the state regulator for insurers in Colorado, and it takes complaints about claims. A homeowner policy generally covers a sudden, accidental discharge and generally excludes flood and gradual seepage, unless an endorsement adds coverage. The exact terms belong to the policy, and this page does not describe them.
The record of the source, the water line, the removed items and the readings is what makes the claim. Keep copies of everything, and ask the insurer to explain in writing how it has classed the water.
The slab, the framing, the sump, the drain and the electrical outlets should all be checked. A finish that goes back over an unchecked area will show the same problem again.
Confirm the sump pit is clear, the pump switches on and off, and the discharge line runs away from the foundation. Check the floor drain for debris and for a working trap. Have an electrician check outlets and the panel if they were wet.
Keep the basement ventilated and the dehumidifier running until the readings are steady. The first season after a flood is the time to watch the walls and floor for any new mark.
The common case in Colorado Springs homes with a finished lower level. Water runs under the carpet and along the bottom of the walls, and the damage is concentrated in one area. The cleanup can be focused, but the readings still need to cover the whole room.
An unfinished basement holds water on bare concrete, and the damage is often to stored items, the lower foot of the framing and the mechanical equipment. The drying is faster on bare concrete, but the water can be deep and the source may be ongoing.
When water comes up a floor drain or a toilet, the water is treated as contaminated and the removal is wider. Porous material is removed rather than dried, and the protection of the crew is set to match. The sewer backup page covers this category in more detail.
Basements in Colorado Springs are a common feature of older and newer homes alike, and the water that reaches them often comes from a supply line or a water heater rather than from the ground.
Storm water and burn-scar runoff have reached lower-lying basements in Colorado Springs and the creek towns, and the 2013 runoff through Manitou Springs is the local reference point for how fast that water can rise.
A basement with a sump pit is only as good as the pump and the discharge line. A pump that stops during a storm, or a discharge that drains back toward the foundation, is a common reason for a second flood.
A crew is dispatched as fast as one is available, and you approve the estimate before any work starts.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Cleanup for storm water and flash flooding that reaches the lower floors, garages and yards of Colorado Springs homes, with the call answered at any hour.
Removing sewage that has backed up through a floor drain, toilet or basement fixture in Colorado Springs and El Paso County, and cleaning and disinfecting the space.
Air movement and dehumidification that dry the framing, subfloor, insulation and wall cavities of a Colorado Springs building after water has been removed.
Locating a concealed supply or drain leak in a Colorado Springs building with moisture meters, a thermal camera and careful opening, before the damage spreads.
The 2013 fires left burned ground in the foothills and on the north-east plains, and that ground sheds water and sediment in heavy rain.
Mold grows on wet organic material such as paper facing, wood, carpet pad and dust, and it can begin within a day or two when that material stays wet.
The first three days after a water loss set most of what follows.
Only if the readings show it is dry and the pad underneath is clean. In most basement floods the pad is removed, and the carpet is kept only when it can be dried and reinstalled without a smell.
Until the readings in the slab, the walls and the framing are steady and low. The time varies with the water and the weather, so the numbers decide it.
It is safer to wait until the readings are dry and the source is confirmed fixed. A finish closed over a damp wall shows the moisture as a stain or a smell later.
A recurring basement flood means the source has not been found or fixed. The cleanup records each event, and the homeowner should have the sump, the drain, the foundation and the pipes checked by a licensed professional for the work they do.