How to ensure you have a floodproof basement.
Are you wondering whether or not your basement is as flood proof as you think it is? Here's how you can ensure that you have a flood proof basement in order to prevent unintended and unforeseen disaster.
A flood in your basement can be an enormous problem and much more than just an inconvenient headache that you have to deal with. Let's say that you just use your basement as a storage area. If there happens to be a flood, for whatever reason, such as a problem with your washing machine or a broken pipe, then suddenly all of your belongings are ruined. This could be valuable and important financial and legal documents. It could be all of your books. It could be your children's mementos. It might be all of your great-grandmother's heirlooms that you just lost.
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If you happen to actually use your basement as a living area, then a flood is also a huge problem. You could, once again, end up losing valuable documents. Bedrooms can be ruined. Your remodeling could be destroyed. You might have to redo the entire basement because of flooding: replacing carpet, replacing walls, replacing dry wall, replacing wood flooring, and more.
So you really want to ensure that your basement is actually flood proof. Here are some tips to help you make sure that you are protected from flooding damage.
The do's of flood proofing your basement
1. If you have an overall measure to protect against flooding, make sure that you also have additional closures and floodshields that can handle the same amount of flooding. This is important in case your initial measure fails, for any reason.
2. You have a number of different flood proofing measures that you can choose from: a dry, a floodwall, or a levee. However, you also need to make sure that you install an internal drainage system that goes along with your floodproofing measure. Make sure that this internal drainage system can get rid of any water that gets in your basement from rainfall and any water seepage.
3. If you have a very large area that needs to be floodproofed, remember that when you install floodshields they will need to be braced. If your floodshields are long, then they will break under the strain of water. Install diagonal bracing that goes from the top of the floodshield down to the floor. This will help support the floodshield in the case of a large amount of water.
4. Look carefully at the foundations of your house. Make sure that you know how deep any projected seepage can come from. Then ensure that your foundations are deep enough to help protect against this scour. Reinforce your foundations.
5. You are going to have to install entry points for your utilities within your flood proofing system. In order to protect against serious electric shock problems, make sure that all of the entry points are completely sealed. You will also need check valves in your sewer lines.
The don't's of flood proofing your basement
1. If your basement has walls and floor that are nonreinforced, then you can't dry flood proof it. Instead, use a wet flood proofing system. You can only dry flood proof the basement if you expect any flooding to be short and rather insignificant.
2. Don't build your basement below the existing grade of the land. Instead, build your basement so that it is partly above the existing grade. Then what you can do is put fill all around the basement walls. Your house won't look like it's elevated, but it protects the walls from the amount of water force that is possible during serious flooding.
3. A caveat to the above rule: if there are any areas where there is a lot of water that is expected or if you live in an area where there is a lot of problems with ice debris, avalanches, or other debris, then you shouldn't elevate your foundations.
4. Don't forget to regularly check on your flood proofing measures to ensure that they are still working properly.
