Water in basement (still)

[Arkadiy]

Hi all,

As a result of recent heavy rains my basement got flooded (about a foot of water). I don't have a sump pump, so I used a utility pump to pump the water out. But the water keeps coming back through the floor (although in smaller amounts).

My basement floor is not even, so I use three spots to pump out the water. I pump it out every evening. By now (a week after everything started) about half of the floor is not covered with water (although most of it is still damp).

I am also running two fans and a dehumidifier.

I think, if dynamics continues, I need a few more days to completely get rid of water...

Now the questios:

1) Am I doing right things or something else needs to be done at this point?

2) At what point should I start to worry about mold? Other damage?

-- my basement has been exposed to wather for a week now and will be exposed to it for a few more days, maybe a week...

Thanks in advance for any input,

Arkadiy

[Edwin Pawlowski]

At some point, you really must get a sump pump and do the job right. Temporarily, you should be OK wiht what you are doing. Shop Vac will get more water up when the utility pump no longer can.

Mold spores can come in at any time. You my want to ventilate well and use a dilute bleach solution on the walls and floor to kill any mold that is accumulating.

[moldshield.1]

Mold can be begin to grow in high humidity within 24 hours. the first step is to remove the water. Mold spores can start to grow- but mildew will be the biggest problem at first- depending on what got wet and has stayed moist. You can use any disinfecting agent to clean. To get rid of the mold you can use bleach but that does not kill all the spores. You may have problems down the road. If it continues to back up look for mold prevention products. They are applications and not cleaners. They will seal and prevent any mold growth. Learn more at: