Basement Flooding, Continued

Draining the flood water from the basement

Start out by picking up one or two small portable pumps from your local hardware or home improvement store. You'll rest easier once you have these babies sitting on a shelf in your garage (and not on the other side of your flooded basement).

Most portable pumps can be fitted with either a garden hose or a larger diameter drain hose. Spend the money on the larger drain hose, if you can ... a high capacity pump should be able to push more water through the bigger fitting. Be sure to buy enough drain hose to get the water far away from the foundation of your house (lest the flood water re-enter your basement).

When you're shopping for pumps, take note of the intake area. Some pumps will drain the water almost all the way to the floor. Larger pumps may leave 3/8" deep puddles (or more) on the concrete. (I use a smaller Little Giant 1/6 HP Utility Pump that drains to 1/8" and a larger pump to handle the heavy-duty work.)

Little Giant 1/6 HP Utility Pump

Note: If your basement is seriously flooded, you may be able to enlist the help of your local fire department for serious pump out chores. This can save you hours and hours ... and these guys are pros.

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