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Home & Garden Articles
Wet Basement Repairs Using a Sump Pump to Get Rid of Carpet Water Damage
Fri 13 Nov 2009 - 21:19
Wet Basement Repairs Using a Sump Pump to Get Rid of Carpet Water Damage
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Jon_Arnett]Jon Arnett
Carpet water damage can be quite substantial if you have a wet basement. The repairs required can become quite expensive as well, but a sump pump can make a big difference toward drying things out.
If your basement or cellar has standing water, you have a serious problem and need to take action immediately. The sump pump can be permanently or temporarily installed to remove a great deal of the water. Some basements seem to almost have a spring running inside and the pump runs off and on all day and night long. Without the pump, the entire basement becomes unusable and a breeding ground for mold spores.
If you have a great deal of water and the sump pump is going to be permanently installed, make sure you buy the best you can afford. If it is submerged in water, it only stands to reason that it will have to be high quality.
Any carpet in such an environment will be damaged beyond repair. If it is left in place, you can be sure that mold and mildew will grow and thrive. The only solution for such a damaged carpet is to throw it out and burn or bury it.
There are numerous products on the market to salvage a water damaged carpet, and there are some homemade solutions that also work well. These all are best for minor cases and can damage the carpet even further.
If your basement is wet, you first need to discover the cause of the leaking water. In many cases, it comes from poor outside drainage. This can be remedied by installing French Drains in many cases. This is not particularly difficult, but is a lot of work and must be done correctly, otherwise you can make the problem even worse.
In severe cases, the foundation will have to be repaired. This is much more extensive and expensive as well. The soil next to the foundation must be dug up so that work can be done on the foundation and walls.
There are diverting boards available that re-route the water away from the house and drain everything off. You can also waterproof the walls with various compounds that seal the cement or block. If the walls or foundation have cracks, these can be repaired.
All in all, it is probably a better idea to use a high quality basement floor paint, rather than a carpet. Once the floor damage is taken care of and the area is dry, you can paint it. This has the advantage of further sealing the floor, as well as preventing more mold and mildew from growing.
You can then use rugs to cover the floor, instead of a carpet. The rugs are much easier to clean and dry out in the event that they become wet.
Randy Hough and Jon Arnett have a website: [http://www.fixyourwaterdamage.com]http://www.fixyourwaterdamage.com, that talks about [http://www.fixyourwaterdamage.com/basementwaterdamage.html]basement water damage
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jon_Arnett http://EzineArticles.com/?Wet-Basement-Repairs-Using-a-Sump-Pump-to-Get-Rid-of-Carpet-Water-Damage&id=3264078
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