Order of operations for deep water
This is the general sequence professionals follow when water is more than an inch or two deep across a basement floor.
- Make the space electrically safe.Power to the basement is cut, and appliances sitting in water are left alone until an electrician or the utility clears them.
- Find out why the water is there.A broken supply line, a failed water heater, a sump pump that quit and groundwater pushing in during a storm all call for different next steps.
- Place a submersible pump at the low point.Usually near the floor drain or sump pit, with the pump on a firm surface so it does not suck up debris.
- Route the discharge well away.The hose should empty downhill and away from the foundation, not into a window well or onto the neighbor's yard. Avoid sending contaminated water into a street gutter.
- Switch to extraction for the last inch.Pumps cannot pick up the thin layer left on the floor or the water inside carpet; extraction tools take over from there.
Why pacing can matter after storms
When a basement floods from a plumbing failure, the soil outside is usually dry and the water can be pumped out as fast as the equipment allows. Storm flooding is different. If the ground around the house is saturated, water pressure on the outside of the walls can be high. Removing all the water inside very quickly takes away the counter-pressure, and in severe flooding that imbalance has been known to crack or push in foundation walls. For heavy groundwater flooding, many emergency-management guides suggest lowering the water gradually over a few days, a few feet per day, and watching whether it rises back overnight.
Most Aurora basement floods are not that dramatic; they are inches of water from a water heater or a failed sump pump. Still, if water keeps coming back after you pump, the ground is feeding it, and the cause has to be solved before extraction and drying make sense. Saturated clay soils, which are common across much of the Denver metro, can keep pushing water in for some time after a storm ends.
Before you rent or run a pump yourself
Technician extracting water from turf flooring in an open-plan home. Example of the work involved; the photo does not show a specific property or a job for this site.
Common questions
Can a shop vacuum handle a flooded basement?
For a thin film over a small area, sometimes. For inches of water across a room or wet carpet, it is far too slow and the motor is not rated for continuous wet use around that much water.
Should the floor drain be left open?
If the sewer is not backing up, the floor drain helps. If water is coming up through the drain, the problem is a sewer backup, and the water should be treated as contaminated.
General information for Aurora, not a quote or professional advice. In an emergency, call 911.