Cleaning out a flooded basement has to rank right up there as one of the worst jobs around. If your property has flooded because of high water from a river or lake, all the stuff that is in the water in now in your basement. If the basement has flooded because of a sewer back up, well, let just say its really nasty stuff all over everything that is in the basement.
Here’s some things you can do that will prevent basement flooding:
1. Do monthly maintenance on your septic system. This is as simple as putting a septic maintenance product in the toilet and flushing it. Cleaning out a basement after a septic backup is nasty work. If you don’t have a drain in your basement, there is no where for the water to go, plus all the muck in the water has to be shoveled out of the basement. Sometimes you can rent a pump to get the major muck out, but there still is a lot of grunt work that will have to be done. Not to mention it takes ages to get rid of the smell.
2. Get the drains away from the basement. Water follows the path of least resistance. Make sure the water from the roof does not find a path to your basement. Drain spouts need to be pointed away from the house and a spade can help move the dirt around to prevent basement flooding. If your property requires quite a bit of dirt work, consider renting a little tractor and scoop. It will save a lot of time.
3. If you find a weak spot , get it fixed now. When you already know that every time it rains that the water goes down the driveway, into the garage and down the basement, it is not simply going to go away. Get a planter of some length to divert the water to a suitable place. If you don’t want to go out in the rain to do this, wait until there is a nice day and get out there with a hose and simulate a rain shower and figure out what you need to do to prevent basement flooding. This type of of problem can do serious damage over time.