How To Remove Water From Your House When Flooded

Natural disasters can happen anywhere; and right now, our friends in Houston, Texas are facing one of the worst moments one can face as a homeowner. Thousands of homes are flooded and once able to, we’ll need to drain them. How can we do this safely and effectively? Here are some tips that will help:
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1. Turn off the electricity: If you have a significant amount of water in your house, especially if this water is located in the basement, please call your electrical company and ask them to turn off the electricity. Should this not be possible, proceed to call an electrician to help you. It is critical to turn off all electricity from your house. Please do not enter your house until this has been completed.
2. Contaminated water: If your house is close to a river, it could contain sewage. If this applies to you, the water in your house may contain bacteria. Wear rain boots to enter, and where possible, clean surfaces with a solution of one part bleach to nine parts water. Here is a video that shows you how to achieve this.
3. Mold Growth: Drain your house as soon as the flood has subsided. It takes 48 to 72 hours for mold to develop. You need to act as quickly as possible and hire professionals when possible. You’ll need to remove everything that has been under water, and even cut out and discard any drywall that was soaked.
4. Dehumidifiers: These can come in handy when trying to remove humidity from wood floors and your house in general. Here are the top five.
5. Open all doors and windows: Though this is something we know many will do, we wanted to include it, as it is critical to have ventilation in the house, especially when inside as the humidity may cause allergies and other respiratory problems. You may find more information, here.

As usual, your neighborhood plumbing technicians at Metro-Flow Plumbing are here to help answer your questions and help solve your plumbing problems 24/7. Please reach us at 214-328- 7371.

Our hearts and prayers are with everyone affected by Hurricane Harvey. #TexasStrong

Photo taken from SM Century, a plumbing company in Houston, Texas.