So you have a flooded basement, and we agree that it is necessary to get the water out. But wait - you may be pumping the water out too soon. There are instances when draining the water out of a flooded basement may not be safe. Emergency management officials say it is important to use caution when pumping the water out of your flooded basement, otherwise you may be causing serious structural damage to your house.



When water rises outside your house, it applies a force against the exterior of your basement walls. The water inside your basement holds that water back. If you drain your basement too soon, the pressure outside the walls will be greater than the pressure inside the walls, and this could cause your cellar walls, floors, and the foundation of your house to crack and collapse.

Experts say that the water inside your flooded basement should be drained slowly in order to equalize the pressure on both sides of the wall - inside and outside.

When draining the water out from your flooded basement, here's how you should do it:

Wait for the floodwaters outside to recede first. Don't start pumping while the flood outside is still high. Do this when the floodwater is no longer covering the ground outside.

Pump water away from your house. Putting a hose outside the door or window will just make the water flow back into the house, and that will add more pressure to the basement wall. The term for this is backpressure. Make sure your hose is long enough, and place the end in a place far from the house so that the water will not flow back towards your house.

Pump out water a little at a time. Pump out 1 foot of water first, and then stop. Mark the water level, then wait until the next day before you do anything more.

The following day, check the water level. If the water level you had marked yesterday is now submerged - meaning the flood water level inside the basement had risen instead of receded - that means the pressure against your inside basement wall is still very strong, and it is still too early to drain your basement.

Wait until the next day, and then do more draining. Pump another 1 foot out, mark the water level again, and then check it the following day.

When the water in the flooded basement no longer covers your water mark, pump out 2 to 3 feet then stop. Make sure you mark the water level. Wait until the next day to do more pumping.

Repeat the pumping then stopping procedure everyday until your flooded basement is now free of water.

After your basement is drained and cleaned, call a contractor to inspect your walls, to make sure they are safe. If your walls collapse, it will cost you more to rebuild them than it cost you to clean the water up.

It sounds very tedious and it is, but following these steps will help you save your flooded basement and your house from structural damage. That flood is already costing you right now; you don't want to add any more unnecessary expenses.