Things to Inspect in a Flooded Basement

Carpet

• If you have a finished basement, or a rec room or den in your basement, you may have a rug on the floor. If it was a serious flood, in which sewage became mixed with the floodwater, you probably don't want the rug in your house anymore. If it was flooded with relatively clean water, and it's a very special rug, you may be able to salvage it by having it dry cleaned.

Furnace

• Many furnaces are installed on blocks in a basement, so they won't be affected by a temporary flood of 4 or 6 inches. If you've experienced the kind of flood that fills a basement, your furnace is probably seriously damaged. After all the water recedes, take the access door off the furnace and put a fan in the basement or crawl space to dry things out as much as possible. If your furnace was old, it might be a good time to replace it. Have a furnace expert inspect it and recommend repairs or replacement. At the very least, you will probably need to replace the electrical components.

Sewer Line

• After the waters have receded, take a good look at your sewer pipe, drain pipe and any other basement plumbing. Have someone run water upstairs and flush the toilet while you observe the pipe in the basement. As long as there wasn't any shifting of your house or large items floating around, your sewer line should be all right, but you need to confirm that before putting any money into repairs in the basement.

Possessions

• Many people use basements for storage, and depending on what you have there, much of it could be ruined in a flood. Possessions that were stored in a sealed plastic container will probably survive, as will plastic and waterproof items. Books and clothing may need to be discarded. Look for mold forming following a flood on any items that were in the basement and on the walls, floor and ceiling.