After a major basement flooding, you may have a swimming pool in your basement. While dehumidifiers and wet/dry vacuums can remove some moisture, if your basement is a new great lake, you will only be able to get it dry by pumping the water out.

Preparations

Do not pump the water out immediately. When water is standing in your yard, it is too soon to pump. Make sure to cut power to your home so you do not have a short circuit. Do not step into the water until your home has been disconnected from the power grid because you will otherwise be at a serious risk of electrocution. When maneuvering the pump into position, make sure that you have a very bright light with you.

The Pump

The pump will sit in the water and pump it out through a hose to another location. Make sure to use a pump that is compact and easy to carry, such as a flygt pump. This will make the pump much easier to work with and you will still have the power necessary to pump the flood water out of the basement. These pumps are also highly durable, so they will be able to resist any corrosion that is likely to be present in flood waters. Flygt pumps are encased in waterproof shells and the electrical cord is carefully sealed. 

The Hose

The hose is attached to the top of the pump. The hose diameter should be large to allow for the water to be pumped out quickly. While many homeowners will use garden hoses, this often does not suffice. With a large and long hose, you can more quickly pump the water if you run the hose down a hill as quickly as possible. For instance, if the western side of your home is on a hill, running the hose down the hill will reduce back pressure and allow the pump to remove the water more quickly. 

Starting It Up

The pump is carefully lowered using a nylon rope so that it is not damaged. The cord must be run to a location where it can be connected to a power source and where no water can reach the connection. Start the pump and it will remove most of the water from the basement. Once the pump is no longer submerged because the water level has gone down, the rest is handled with other methods, such as a wet/dry vacuum.

To learn more, contact a company like Compressor-Pump & Service, Inc.