Page 645 - 2018 National Home Improvement

2018 National Home Improvement Estimator, All Rights Reserved Page 517

Relocate heavy items. The best choice for relocating building contents is another room on site, a
second floor or a storage container placed temporarily in the driveway. If there's going to be a delay in
moving some heavy items, set foam blocks or plastic sheeting under legs or supports to eliminate
contact with anything that's wet. Moisture will "wick" up wood furniture legs, discoloring the wood as it
goes. If appliances and plumbing fixtures have to be moved, cap waste and supply lines (water, electric
and gas). If a water heater has to be moved, start draining the tank right away.

Get the mud and debris out. Clear out the mud before it dries. Shovel or squeegee as much mud as
possible. If you have water pressure, hose out the interior. Clean the mud out of electrical outlets,
switch boxes and light sockets.

Remove the vents and registers from a flooded HVAC system. Duct in a flooded basement or crawl
space will be contaminated. Remove a section of duct to get access to all areas. Then thoroughly wash
out all flooded duct. When the mud is out, clean the duct with a disinfectant or sanitizer. Don't restart
the HVAC system until you're sure it's free of contaminants.

Drain the basement carefully. Don't be in a hurry to pump out a flooded basement. Here's why.
Groundwater around the exterior puts pressure on basement walls. As long as there's water in the
basement, pressure will be approximately equal on both sides of the wall. See Figure 19-3.

If you drain the basement too quickly, the pressure won't be equal. See Figure 19-4. Basement walls or
the floor can crack or deflect. To avoid problems, follow these steps:

[ ] Delay pumping until soil around the exterior of the basement is
free of standing water.
[ ] Then pump the water level down 2 or 3 feet. Mark the level and
wait overnight.