water in basement.

[Newguy]

I have a bit of a unique question, we are planning on buying a house (we hear back tomorrow if the offer was accepted).
it is a bank foreclosure, well the bank turned off the electric a little over 3 weeks ago and they didn't think or care about the sump pump. so now the basement has about 2 feet of water in it.

My question is what some of the ways we could consider to go about getting it drained?

Also should we worry about how fast we remove the water, would the sudden pressure drop on the walls (from the removal of the water) cause a problem? i,e collapse

Thanks for any advice

[mdshunk]

Nope, certainly not 2 feet. That's not very much. I'd just plug in the sump pump and let 'er work. The bigger worry will be ridding the dampness so you don't grow funky fungas on the underside of the floor. After it's drained, you should run some fans and dehumidifiers for many weeks to get things dried out really well. I do a fair amount of electrical work for restoration companies (fire/flood/etc.), and they run fans and dehumidifiers in previously flooded basements sometimes for months to dry things out really well. You may already have black mold showing on the underside of the wood that you'll have to scrub down with bleach water. You can often get a good deal on houses with presently flooded basements, because it turns off a lot of people. They don't realize that there's not too much involved with correcting this matter. Naturally, if the furnace is down there, it's probably history.

Let us know how the transaction turns out.

[xkvator]

if the foundation is concrete block, make sure there is no water left in the cores...i,ve seen black mold form on the inside walls from water left in there

[Newguy]

Thanks for replying guys, our offer on the house was accepted.
We also got in today, to take a look around and fully check out the water in the basement. (man that water was cold I wish I had a canoe!)
The foundation itself seems solid, no bowing or loose brick/block/sandstone

There was only a little mold growing that we seen today, it was patches of white and green. no black was visible atleast today.

There is a sump pump in the pump pit, however the plug that it is plugged into must be bad. we are going over tomorrow to hook an extension cord up to it temporarily, until we get to work on it fully. I may in a few days make a post about the whole house in the brag forums :)

One question, Currently the fuse panel is located in a off the side addition on the first floor that will make running new electric very hard.
what are the NEC rules pertaining to the placement of the Service panel in a basement like this?

Thanks for the advice we will be making sure the mold is gone first thing that will be done is the downspouts need taken away from the house :)
-Newguy

[xkvator]

There is a sump pump in the pump pit, however the plug that it is plugged into must be bad. we are going over tomorrow to hook an extension cord up to it temporarily, until we get to work on it fully. I may in a few days make a post about the whole house in the brag forums :)
We'll be waiting...we like pictures...and please don't plug the ext. cord in underwater :eek:

[Mr T]

congrads and good luck in the future on the house.
I too bought a repo. No basement to flood. However it appeared that they left the electric (including the well) on here....but not the heat. The bank sold through a local real estate agent. They had to do some serious plumbing repair before they were allowed to sell the house as 'having plumbing'.

Being that you are also in Ohio. Was this house still vacent last winter? Ours had no heat for 3 winters. Also did not see any outside air during that time. Lots of wall paper. We had to strip everything and scrub the hell out of the walls before we could move in. Took a few years till the place didnt smell musty anymore. (we had that much wall paper) If you have any wall paper in the place, look for it peeling up on the edges. Its a sign of being in a bad enviroment for too long. I would consider chucking a few anti - mold/mildew/musty oder foggers in there before getting too serious into the place.

As previously said, if there are any gas appliances in your basement.. if they were wet or you think they were, toss them, (do not get the gas turned on till you disconnect them)..can be very dangerous. These things tend to explode when wet.

Good luck.. and also check for racoons in your attic :eek: :eek: sniper_1

[mdshunk]

One question, Currently the fuse panel is located in a off the side addition on the first floor that will make running new electric very hard.
what are the NEC rules pertaining to the placement of the Service panel in a basement like this?

Well, there area a few rules. Where is your ideal location for the new service panel (exactly) and where is that with respect to the meter? Post with that information, and we can relate how you should do things to meet code to put your service panel exactly where you want it.

[bmwpower]

if the foundation is concrete block, make sure there is no water left in the cores...i,ve seen black mold form on the inside walls from water left in there

I assume you get rid of this water by drilling a hole in the block? How do you tell where to drill?

[xkvator]

if your not sure if you have 2 or 3 core block, try the mortar joint at floor level

[bmwpower]

What's the white stuff I sometimes see on block foundations. Almost looks like a calcium deposit of sorts. Is this stuff mold or something else?

[mdshunk]

Sure, just minerals left behind when the water evaporates. No big deal. A wash with muratic will generally remove this.

[Newguy]

please don't plug the ext. cord in underwater :eek:

LoL you mean you can't just plug it in underwater??? ;)


Mr T: I would assume this house was vacant for quite a while, it also had soem major roof leaking previously so all the plaster is shot.
We plan to gut the house entirely (again) (this will be our third house gutting we've done)

boy do I hear ya on the wall paper and the musty smell, in the house we live in now, at one time long ago the previous owners wall papered the celing in the kitchen, I had a great idea of trying to patch the holes and cracks in the plaster, so I wet the paper and scraped it off, it took me a good 3 hours. and after patching the holes we found out it just started coming loose the more I scraped.. so we had to replace it. I swear I still smell that mustyness every once in a while

mdshunk:
well as i mentioned it would be in the basement, within 5 feet of the current meter location.
we would attach treated 2x4 frame+plywood to the floor joist and place the panel on that.
the basement is roughly 7 feet in height to the bottom of the joist, so the panel we be as close to joist as can be.
I would think the bottom of it would be around the height of 4 feet?


We'll be waiting...we like pictures...and

I am posting the link to the pictures in the brag forum now :)

[Mr T]

(this will be our third house gutting we've done)

Nevermind the comments about patience in brag room then. You seem to have more patience then I do :D

I swear I still smell that mustyness every once in a while
Same here. We go away for a few days and will smell it when we come back (very mild, and we still got wall paper in the bathroom by the front door (including the ceiling)[/QUOTE]

I would think the bottom of it would be around the height of 4 feet?
Just dont unplug that sump pump if you will have the panel that low :D Untill you fix the water problem for good, make sure you get a backup, battery operated sump pump.

[Mr T]

(this will be our third house gutting we've done)

And he calls himself newguy.......... puke_1

[Newguy]

Nevermind the comments about patience in brag room then. You seem to have more patience then I do :D


Same here. We go away for a few days and will smell it when we come back (very mild, and we still got wall paper in the bathroom by the front door (including the ceiling)


Just dont unplug that sump pump if you will have the panel that low :D Untill you fix the water problem for good, make sure you get a backup, battery operated sump pump.


To be honest if I had the money for the materials I would set about rebuilding the entire town I live in.
we've almost got gutting a house down to a science, but we have a lot to learn, one thing I have learned is a sturdy shovel is your best friend, especially against plaster


I forget to mention that along with wallpaper that was on the ceiling I scaped was a fabric of some sort, that was a bit of a surprise I think thats all the was holding the ceiling there.

Having the water get deep enough to reach to the box is the only thing I am concerned about.
I don't know if the convenience of having it in the basment is worth the risk.. :confused:




And he calls himself newguy..........

lol Got to remember I took that name on here way back, when I registered my only construction experience consisted of a few shoddy tree houses lol :)

[Mr T]

To be honest if I had the money for the materials I would set about rebuilding the entire town I live in.
I find it fun and rewarding work. My wife has never done anything like this before.... she still has mixed feelings about it. However we have a crawlspace and some genius decided to line it with crushed limestone in one area....I now have knee problems (and I use knee protection), as well as a issue with my shoulder now. I willnever again own a house without a full basement.

one thing I have learned is a sturdy shovel is your best friend, especially against plaster
I still prefer the hammer, just more fun. :D We got sheetrock/plaster here and in my parent's house (which i did alot in too). I cut the plaster into managable pieces and pull them off. A bit dusty, but quick and easy.

I forget to mention that along with wallpaper that was on the ceiling I scaped was a fabric of some sort, that was a bit of a surprise I think thats all the was holding the ceiling there.
Sounded like someone was desperate to get it fixed...that night.

Having the water get deep enough to reach to the box is the only thing I am concerned about.
Having gas appliances down there is probably as big of a risk. The fact that there are STILL gas appliances down there is a sign that when the pump works, water is not that bad, or something just happened causing the flooding. Do you know where the pump drains to? You may need to replace (add) drain tile around the place.

Also remember, we have had some serious flooding in Ohio this year. Lake Erie is a foot higher now becasue of all the rain we had. I know your area got hit pretty hard too. If the hosue had no power all winter, I guess I can see that much water in it. My parents over near Dayton had some really tough times controlling the water in their basement too. They had the worst flooding in that area in almost 100 years, and the flood back then resulted in 5 dams being built in the area.

lol Got to remember I took that name on here way back, when I registered my only construction experience consisted of a few shoddy tree houses lol :)
Just messing with you. Glad to see you are picking up on things well and (hopefully) learning the right way to fix things. Ive seen some very scary DIY work over the years

[Newguy]

Ouch, crushed limestone!! Thankfully the worst crawl I've gone into mainly consisted of sparce pieces of pointy coal that i cursed at and a very real sense that black widows were out and about.
although I might take those over crushed limestone

I can't argue about the hammer being more fun lol

I didn't know gas appliances being under water would be such a hazard, but I can I see why they are.
The sump pump currently drains stright out the side of the house :eek: , no doubt coming straight back inside.
We plan to install a new perimeter drain all the way around and out to an alley about 40 feet from the house, that everyone else drains there basements into.
You think that would be a good idea?

yeh this area got hit pretty bad, dillion took out part of RT. 146 and was I think 30 feet below maximum capacity.
I didn't know Lake erie was still up, I bet the Niagara falls are nice right now.

Hopefully we are learning the right way to fix things :)

-Newguy

I find it fun and rewarding work. My wife has never done anything like this before.... she still has mixed feelings about it. However we have a crawlspace and some genius decided to line it with crushed limestone in one area....I now have knee problems (and I use knee protection), as well as a issue with my shoulder now. I willnever again own a house without a full basement.


I still prefer the hammer, just more fun. :D We got sheetrock/plaster here and in my parent's house (which i did alot in too). I cut the plaster into managable pieces and pull them off. A bit dusty, but quick and easy.


Sounded like someone was desperate to get it fixed...that night.


Having gas appliances down there is probably as big of a risk. The fact that there are STILL gas appliances down there is a sign that when the pump works, water is not that bad, or something just happened causing the flooding. Do you know where the pump drains to? You may need to replace (add) drain tile around the place.

Also remember, we have had some serious flooding in Ohio this year. Lake Erie is a foot higher now becasue of all the rain we had. I know your area got hit pretty hard too. If the hosue had no power all winter, I guess I can see that much water in it. My parents over near Dayton had some really tough times controlling the water in their basement too. They had the worst flooding in that area in almost 100 years, and the flood back then resulted in 5 dams being built in the area.


Just messing with you. Glad to see you are picking up on things well and (hopefully) learning the right way to fix things. Ive seen some very scary DIY work over the years

[Mr T]

I didn't know gas appliances being under water would be such a hazard, but I can I see why they are.

I dont know about the 'why' part, but I know that gas valves and water dont mix. Our house origionaly had electric baseboard heat, then they added a gas furnace that hung in the crawlspace. I tracked down a previous resident and he told me a story about going down to light the pilot light one fall. He didnt know that the crawlspace flooded that summer, lit the pilot light and said it about killed him when (something) exploded. The furnace was ruined. More or less they turned the baseboard heat back on and stuck a for sale sign in the yard (also got transfered to Phoenix, but thats a minor detail ;) ). I dont know how valid the story is. But there is pieces of furnace all over the place down there. I drag a few out every time. Strange thing is I have found about every part of it but the heat exchanger, gas valve, and the outside covers(might have drug them out already..cant remember). The motor looks like it is being used to support some duct work now.

The sump pump currently drains stright out the side of the house :eek: , no doubt coming straight back inside.
We plan to install a new perimeter drain all the way around and out to an alley about 40 feet from the house, that everyone else drains there basements into. You think that would be a good idea?

I'd check with your city first. There may be new local code in place now.

I didn't know Lake erie was still up, I bet the Niagara falls are nice right now.
It's been way down the last several years. The only people who were liking it were the prop repair people, who's business was booming. It may have been part of the cause of over 1000 people getting sick at Put-In-Bay last summer. The traced it back to water supply problems... fixed now. Hopefully no large tankers will get stuck in the middle of the Maumee's bay this year....but it is good entertainment for those who arent payin the tow bill.

Hopefully we are learning the right way to fix things :) I looked through your picture archive, didnt see any fire damage..Sounds like you are :D Hope to get some of my pics up in the next few days...