Will 3 inches of water go away by itself in a basement?

[ZachnElli]

Just to prepare you, most likely you have NO coverage for this...flooding isn't covered under homeowners policies and FEMA flood policies do not provide coverage for 'stuff' in a basement, only attached fixtures like drywall, your furnace, etc.

Actually, you can get contents coverage with a flood policy. You can even get a contents only flood policy, for renters. Www.flood smart.gov

 

[golfgal]

Actually, you can get contents coverage with a flood policy. You can even get a contents only flood policy, for renters. Www.flood smart.gov

Read it, it doesn't cover contents in basements...

 

[ZachnElli]

Read it, it doesn't cover contents in basements...

No, you go read it. I sell them, there is content coverage in flood policies. I have even sold contents only flood policies. I provided the FEMA website, go on now and read it.

 

[golfgal]

No, you go read it. I sell them, there is content coverage in flood policies. I have even sold contents only flood policies. I provided the FEMA website, go on now and read it.

I have read it and there is NO content coverage for basements, AT ALL. I sold them too. Content coverage is ONLY for above ground floors. You can buy building only or content only or both--basement coverage is limited on both.

http://www.floodsmart.gov/floodsmart/pages/residential_coverage/whats_covered.jsp

Flood Insurance for Basements and Areas Below the Lowest Elevated Floor
Coverage is limited in basements regardless of zone or date of construction. It's also limited in areas below the lowest elevated floor, depending on the flood zone and date of construction. These areas include:

Basements
Crawlspaces under an elevated building
Enclosed areas beneath buildings elevated on full-story foundation walls that are sometimes referred to as "walkout basements"
Enclosed areas under other types of elevated buildings
Make sure to ask your agent for additional details on your basement coverage

 

[Kat77]

Use your garden hose to siphon out water until you can get a pump. To siphon- run water through hose to remove all air, kink hose and turn off at facet, unscrew/unkink hose and flow should reverse.

 

[ZachnElli]

I have read it and there is NO content coverage for basements, AT ALL. I sold them too. Content coverage is ONLY for above ground floors. You can buy building only or content only or both--basement coverage is limited on both.


"NO content coverage for basements, AT ALL" and "basement coverage is limited on both." in one paragraph. So which is it? None AT ALL, or limited?

 

[mjkacmom]

If you have water, you need a wet/dry vacuum. We had a big pump, a regular pump, and a pool pump, but power was lost when we got down to 3 inches. Power back on, D
H got our 2 wetvac's back on.

 

[etoiles]

I would get a sump pump installed (with battery backup in case of power failure) in the floor of the basement so this didn't happen again.

It's what we have and have never had a basement flood.

My parents basement flooded twice when I was a kid and my dad had a sump pump installed and it never happened again.

Of course, having a sump pump is no guarantee your basement will not flood ever. We had a sump pump and even a battery backup sump pump and we were gone to visit family one night when it rained 7+ inches in an hour and our entire garage and finished basment flooded with both pumps in place.

Thankfully the insurance considered it a sump pump failure since the pump could not keep up with the water apparently instead of a flooding so at least some of the damage was covered. (Not to the contents. We were lucky and none of the contents were ruined.)

 

[mjkacmom]

If you have water, you need a wet/dry vacuum. We had a big pump, a regular pump, and a pool pump, but power was lost when we got down to 3 inches. Power back on, D
H got our 2 wetvac's back on.

 

[jfulcer]

Getting the water out is paramount. Borrow a portable sump pump from a neighbor if they are not using it. They do make them.

Once you get it out, clean with bleach. Then clean again with bleach. Even if you dry it out, you still may end up with mold...

 

[kaytieeldr]

I have read it and there is NO content coverage for basements, AT ALL. I sold them too. Content coverage is ONLY for above ground floors. You can buy building only or content only or both--basement coverage is limited on both.


"NO content coverage for basements, AT ALL" and "basement coverage is limited on both." in one paragraph. So which is it? None AT ALL, or limited?

Limited. See page 3 of the .PDF document linked in that link http://www.floodsmart.gov/floodsmart/pdfs/NFIP_Summary_of_Coverage.pdf for what is and isn't covered - therefore, limited coverage .

 

[shortbun]

if you haven't started hand bailing, better do it. That mold is toxic and awful. If you don't have any way out, you're stuck so get your bucket brigade going.

 

[golfgal]

I have read it and there is NO content coverage for basements, AT ALL. I sold them too. Content coverage is ONLY for above ground floors. You can buy building only or content only or both--basement coverage is limited on both.


"NO content coverage for basements, AT ALL" and "basement coverage is limited on both." in one paragraph. So which is it? None AT ALL, or limited?

You should know better than this. What is your number one issue with your customers--they don't read their policies and therefore think things should be covered that are not. By you arguing about this, especially with all the flooding going on you are giving people a false hope that they will have covered. Content coverage is LIMITED to stuff in the basement. The only non-attached items in a basement that will be covered are large appliances-NONE of their "stuff" is covered-tvs, furniture, clothing, etc. The thought is that people have enough time to move their things in the basement to higher ground, thus they are not covered. Large appliances are covered because they are considered too heavy to move (freezers, washers, dryers).

The max coverage you can get for your home is $250K and $100K for contents-that's not a lot, especially on the east coast where in many communities a starter home goes for $500K. While flood policies do give some coverage, they are not very good. People up and down the east coast are going to find that out very soon. Again, floods cause more damage in the US than all other natural disasters COMBINED. This same issue came up with Rita and Katrina, the FLOODING that happened wasn't covered. Insurance companies got sued over this and actually won, which RARELY happens

 

[abdmom]

I just purchased a new home. To get insurance that covered even $20K of water damage in a basement was hundreds more than regular insurance which covered no water damage in the basement.

 

[golfgal]

I just purchased a new home. To get insurance that covered even $20K of water damage in a basement was hundreds more than regular insurance which covered no water damage in the basement.

That was sewer and sump pump coverage, not flood coverage, there is a difference in the insurance world. We have that coverage on our policy, it adds about $100/year to our cost.

 

[2disneyboys]

You should know better than this. What is your number one issue with your customers--they don't read their policies and therefore think things should be covered that are not. By you arguing about this, especially with all the flooding going on you are giving people a false hope that they will have covered. Content coverage is LIMITED to stuff in the basement. The only non-attached items in a basement that will be covered are large appliances-NONE of their "stuff" is covered-tvs, furniture, clothing, etc. The thought is that people have enough time to move their things in the basement to higher ground, thus they are not covered. Large appliances are covered because they are considered too heavy to move (freezers, washers, dryers).

The max coverage you can get for your home is $250K and $100K for contents-that's not a lot, especially on the east coast where in many communities a starter home goes for $500K. While flood policies do give some coverage, they are not very good. People up and down the east coast are going to find that out very soon. Again, floods cause more damage in the US than all other natural disasters COMBINED. This same issue came up with Rita and Katrina, the FLOODING that happened wasn't covered. Insurance companies got sued over this and actually won, which RARELY happens

This is exactly right. Coverage for basements etc (or any sunken type room) is limited to big items that essentially "service" the property. Contents, finished flooring/walls etc is very limited to the point that coverage is nonexistant. its sort of an "inside" joke to agents that FEMA considers basements, and "sunken" rooms as indoor pools. (I know, bad joke, but it's the truth when you review coverages) now the good news is that once you get to the ground floors of a property covered by flood insurance you do get coverage for contents, walls, floors etc.

the only thing I would add is that if your home is worth more than $250,000 you can purchase an excess flood policy, but these can be pricey...

 

[abdmom]

Did you read my policy? Didn't realize you were an expert on Canadian insurance too.

 

[golfgal]

Did you read my policy? Didn't realize you were an expert on Canadian insurance too.

A. no where does it say you are Canadian

B. in the US, which is where most people on this board are from, there is a standard insurance policy through the ISO that outlines minimum coverage that ALL insurance policies in the US MUST contain. NO standard homeowners insurance policy covers floods. They ALL must OFFER an option for sewer and sump pump coverage but it is not part of the standard ISO contract...

 

[MouseEarsJenny]

Just to update -

The water has completely drained from our basement. We live near a small creek which had completely flooded out our road. The water table was higher than our basement, and the water came up through the basement floor drain - the walls are bone dry. By the time we could drive out of our development this morning, all the water had receded back down the drain with no pumping, bailing, or vacuuming.

I did buy some bleach to mop the floor with in case the damp causes mold, and I'm going to open up all the windows (there are full size windows on two walls).

I don't think we're going to bother installing a sump pump - this is the first time our basement has flooded in 6 years of living here, and I'm thinking it was a one-off, as category 1 hurricanes aren't exactly annual occurences around here.

Thanks for the advice, all!

 

[mrodgers]

Just to update -

The water has completely drained from our basement. We live near a small creek which had completely flooded out our road. The water table was higher than our basement, and the water came up through the basement floor drain - the walls are bone dry. By the time we could drive out of our development this morning, all the water had receded back down the drain with no pumping, bailing, or vacuuming.

If the water was coming up through the drain from the creek, you probably would have been pumping and bailing forever since not only would you be pumping the water from the basement, but also trying to pump the creek dry....

Something to think about in times like this before having a solution, where is the water coming from?