How Can I Protect My Basement Game Room From Flood Damage?

9/4/2020 (Permalink)

Give us a call today at (336) 677-1415. We have the tools and experts to assist you.

Advance Residents Looking To Keep Basements Safe From Flood Damage.

A game room is a great way to use spare basement space in your Advance home. You can keep it simple with a table and chairs, and a bunch of card and board games. Or, you can go all out and install a dart board, a pool table, or even a small indoor basketball hoop.

If you have kids, a game room is an ideal place for them to hang out with their friends, or for your family to spend quality time together. It’s also an excellent way to use space that would otherwise have been stuffed with souvenirs and unwanted furniture. Unfortunately, flood damage is a risk for Advance basements. 

How do I know if my basement is at risk of flood damage?

If you have noticed water in your basement in the past, it could be at risk of flood damage. Warning signs include pools of water around doors or visibly moldy or water-damaged items.

Other risk factors include:

• A yard that slopes down towards your basement
• Rickety or damaged doors, or doors with broken seals or panes
• Broken gutters or downpipes nearby

SERVPRO recommends taking steps to protect your basement now – prevention is much better than cure, and there are several things you can do.

What can I do to flood-proof my basement?

There are several steps you can take: 

• Repair any broken doors, seals, or window panes immediately
• Ensure your garden slopes away from your basement, not toward it – call in a gardener to help you
• Clean gutters regularly and fix broken guttering or downspouts
• Consider installing a sump pump to kick in and automatically pump water away
• Find out about basement waterproofing treatment and whether it is a good option for you

 Can I do anything to protect my gaming items?

SERVPRO understands that even when you flood-proof your basement, you cannot guarantee water will never enter. That is why we suggest taking extra care of your gaming items too:

Store board and card games on raised shelves, at waist height or higher

Consider putting gaming tables such as pool tables on a raised platform

Store particularly expensive or delicate items elsewhere in your home

If you are concerned about flood damage, consider furnishing your basement game room with cheap and easily-replaced items.

When should I call SERVPRO?

Call our team at the first sign of flood damage to your basement. There is no such thing as a job too big or too small – we equip our teams to handle every flood size, and We're Faster To Any Size Disaster.

If you leave flood water standing, there is an increased risk of microbial growth and further damage to your game room. Do not delay – if you see flood damage, make that call.

What happens when SERVPRO arrives?

We train our technicians to The Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certification (IICRC) standards, so you can rest assured they know how to handle every aspect of flood damage remediation.

Our team will start with a thorough assessment of your property. We can also take care of any immediate safety issues, such as establishing a safe source of power for our equipment. Our teams come with full personal protective equipment to safely and hygienically handle all grades of water (including sewage). 

The first step in remediation is pumping out the water. We use a range of free-standing and truck-mounted pumps and wand extractors to remove moisture from your game room.

Next, we clean any water-damaged items. Depending on the material, we might use wet or dry cleaning, immersion, or spot cleaning.

We use dehumidifiers and fans to dry your basement. This is important for odor control and for preventing fungal growth. We can also clean and dry individual items such as a gaming chair or pool table.

We use the latest moisture-testing technology, such as moisture meters, moisture probes, and thermal-hygrometers, to monitor the drying process. SERVPRO of Davie & Yadkin Counties knows that thorough drying is key to a successful flood damage remediation job.

How will I know what to salvage?

Our highly trained technicians have a good eye for what is salvageable and what is not. Our policy is to clean and repair wherever possible – we only recommend trashing an item if it is beyond repair. 

What about damp smells?

We know that a damp-smelling basement is not a fun gaming place, and the smell is a reminder of the flood damage, too. We use air scrubbers and sometimes ozone generators or foggers to control odor. We also have spot-cleaning products we can use to deodorize delicate materials that cannot withstand more thorough cleaning.

If you need flood damage remediation that you can trust, call SERVPRO of Davie & Yadkin Counties at (336) 677-1415.