Basement is flooded- what to do?

[Anonymous]

Our sump pump broke in a bad storm several years ago and we were out of town at the time. We ended up with bad mold and had to gut the entire basement. We didn't have flood insurance.

The good news was that our homeowner's policy covered everything because the cause of the flood was a broken sump pump. All the clean-up and mold remediation (around 12K) was paid for.

Of course, we had to re-do the whole basement at our own expense - not good.

But if your pump fails, be sure to check with your agent - clean up may be covered.

Good luck OP - I feel your pain! I've been running downstairs all afternoon checking to make sure all was working well!

[Anonymous]

I put in a backup battery sump. One cool fhing is that it will assist the main pump if it gets overwhelmed or stopped up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our sump pump broke in a bad storm several years ago and we were out of town at the time. We ended up with bad mold and had to gut the entire basement. We didn't have flood insurance.

The good news was that our homeowner's policy covered everything because the cause of the flood was a broken sump pump. All the clean-up and mold remediation (around 12K) was paid for.

Of course, we had to re-do the whole basement at our own expense - not good.

But if your pump fails, be sure to check with your agent - clean up may be covered.

Good luck OP - I feel your pain! I've been running downstairs all afternoon checking to make sure all was working well!

Who did you use for basement de-molding and clean up, if you don't mind. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Always store your items in tupperware bins, never cardboard, just in case!!

[Anonymous]

if water is coming in b/c of the water table - is this usually covered?

We have 1/2 an inch to an inch in various parts of our basement as well. It is clear that it is not a drain issue.

We have a wet vac and have be working it all night.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:if water is coming in b/c of the water table - is this usually covered?

We have 1/2 an inch to an inch in various parts of our basement as well. It is clear that it is not a drain issue.

We have a wet vac and have be working it all night.

Wow, that's exactly what we're doing tonight as well. Sump pump going off every minute or two, not overloaded or anything, but still have seepage up from the floor. I've heard that seepage is not usually covered, but that's only according to the Internet.

[Anonymous]

The water table is the highest it has been in three years.

PP, you'll have to check the writing of your insurance document. Mine says they will not cover flooding for example. I personally don't think it reasonable to say high water table meeting heavy rainfall is a flood, but some insurance companies have inserted these words: "surface water" when describing floods.