Guide · Flooded basement
What to Do When Your Basement Floods
Safety first, then stop the water, then document and dry. Here is the order that protects your family, your claim and the structure.
Water in the basement is one of the most common calls in Philadelphia. Rowhome basements sit below grade, share walls with the neighbors, and hold the water heater, the panel and the main shutoff in one small room.
The first hour matters more than anything you buy later. Use the steps below in order. If you would rather hand it off, our flooded basement cleanup crew answers 24/7.
Step by step: the first few hours
- Stay out of the water until the power question is answered. Do not walk into standing water if it may reach outlets, extension cords, the furnace or the electrical panel. If you cannot reach the panel from a dry spot, stay out and call PECO or an electrician to cut power.
- Find out where the water is coming from. A burst or leaking pipe, a failed sump pump, a backed-up floor drain, or rain coming through the wall or window wells. The source decides the next move and, later, how the insurance claim is read.
- Stop the source if you safely can. Shut the main water valve for a supply leak; in most rowhomes it is on the front wall where the line comes in. For a sewer or floor drain backup, stop running water and flushing toilets in the house. For a burst pipe, a plumber repairs the line.
- Treat backup water as contaminated. Water that came up through a floor drain or toilet carries sewage. Keep kids and pets away, do not try to mop it, and wear boots and gloves if you have to go near it. That situation calls for sewage backup cleanup, not a shop vac.
- Photograph everything before you move it. Take wide shots and close-ups of the water line on the walls, damaged items, the water heater and furnace, and the source. Your insurer will ask for them, and they are hard to recreate once cleanup starts.
- Move what you can and get air moving. Lift boxes, rugs and furniture out of the water onto dry ground. Do not throw anything out yet; damaged items are part of the claim record. Open windows if the weather allows.
- Get drying started the same day. Mold can start within 24 to 48 hours on wet drywall, carpet pad and wood. A restoration crew extracts the water, measures moisture inside walls and under floors, and dries to the meter, not the calendar. Onyx serves basements across Philadelphia and the surrounding counties.
Is it safe to walk in a flooded basement?
Only when the power to the area is off and the water is clean supply water. Live electricity, sewage, gas appliances that were submerged and slippery stairs are the real dangers. If the water reached the furnace, water heater or gas meter, do not relight anything; call PGW or a licensed plumber to check it first.
What to do with flooded basement carpet
Carpet soaked by clean water can sometimes be dried if the work starts fast. Carpet pad almost never can. Carpet soaked by sewage or floodwater should come out. Photograph it in place, cut a sample if your adjuster asks, and leave the decision to the drying readings, not a guess.
Who to call for water in the basement
A plumber fixes a pipe or a sump pump. A water damage restoration company handles the water that already got out: extraction, drying and the repairs that follow. Most flooded basements need both. Onyx handles the water damage restoration and the rebuild, so you are not left with open walls after the drying crew leaves.
If you plan to file a claim, read our insurance claims page before you throw anything away.
FAQ
Common questions
How soon should a flooded basement be dried out?
Start the same day. Mold can begin growing on wet materials within 24 to 48 hours, so the sooner water is extracted and drying equipment is running, the less has to be torn out.
Can I pump out the basement myself?
For a small amount of clean water, a wet vac helps. It does not dry the water that soaked into drywall, framing, carpet pad and the slab. That moisture is what leads to mold and odor weeks later, which is why moisture readings matter.
Does homeowners insurance cover a flooded basement?
It depends on the source and your policy. Sudden pipe bursts are often covered, while groundwater flooding and sewer backups usually need separate flood or water backup coverage. Your insurer decides coverage, so document everything and call them early.
Should I call a plumber or a restoration company first?
If water is still coming in from a pipe, shut the main and call a plumber. Call a restoration company at the same time so drying starts as soon as the source is stopped.
Next step
Water in the basement right now?
Call Onyx 24/7. Tell us where the water is and how deep, and we will tell you what to do until the crew gets there.
Call 267-353-7953Not an emergency? Request a callback online and Onyx will call to confirm a time.