The Peculiar Case of the Water Heater in the Basement

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 2, 2017

Waking up is hard to do. You need to get out of your cozy bed, go wash up, get dressed and get some coffee in you before you start your day. Now think of getting out of bed, as hard as that is, walking slowly to the shower, opening the hot water, and waiting for it to run so you can hop in, and... nothing happens.

Water stays cold as ice, you realize you can't hit the shower this morning, and you try to figure out what just happened. Could you have forgotten to turn on the water heater? Could it be broken? Time to check it out.

As you walk downstairs you hear a low trickling noise as if a faucet is open somewhere. You keep going, and as you approach the basement, you hear it louder - there is water running somewhere over there. Question is - where? As you reach the last step, you put your foot down and immediately realize you haven't even opened your eyes properly. You're standing in a big pond, which was once your basement. No hot shower today. What now then?

What's Important to Do When You Have Water in Your Basement?

First thing - close down the water source. Whether it's the water heater, a pipe or a water leaking in from a window, make sure no more water can get in. Close the water mains, shut down any valve leading to the affected area, and close the window if that was the source of the water.

Second thing you do is take care of all that water. Water spreads fast and has the power to cause lots and lots of trouble over time. If you don't have a water drain in the basement, it's time to get emergency water extraction services, provided by a professional water damage restoration company such as Flood Damage Pro.

The More You Wait, The Bigger the Damage

Water leaks and floods should be taken care of as fast as possible. The reason is that most homes aren't waterproof on the inside. Standing water will ruin your carpets, floors, furniture, and even get into drywall if given the opportunity. Moreover, the standing water becomes a health hazard after a while, even if they came from a clean source (also called Category 1 water damage). Another reason for you to hurry is mold and how fast mold starts to grow after your basement suffered from a water damage.

Flood Damage Pro offers a 24/7 response to all your water damage restoration requirements and needs, providing you a quick and thorough solution to your problem. We'll get your life back to normal in no time.

And the water heater story? That's one of our customers. Within 12 hours, the basement was water free. Within 48 hours, the basement was dry and tested for mold growth. Within 72 hours the basement was restored to its original state, including the carpets, the furniture, and a brand new water heater. Our customer enjoyed the shower the next morning. A lot.

And what caused the water heater to break? We may never know. We're not water heater experts, but that customer was very lucky to suffer only small damage from it, especially with electricity running near the water heater as well.

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