Maritime Basement

[W1IA]

After 3 straight days of bailing it looks like the tides have receded. Frustrating situation considering I live on a hill. It looks like the shear volume of water created high static pressure on the walls of the basement and pushed itself through the seam where the walls meet the floor.

Sunday morning was a rude awakening to the 3 inches of water throughout the finished basement. After rigging up a the washer to a pool hose and setting the shop vac on top of the washer...I managed to extract the thousands of gallons in record time.

One note of caution, before I new my wife had walked into the basement without knowledge of electricity and water....I had a power supply for the L4B sitting on the floor and the station was on. She shut off the master switch to shut down the room, but after walking in the shack realized the danger potential of equipment and the water shock hazard.

So for now the station is back on the air and the basement smells like a swamp ..ARRRGH!

Brent W1IA

[WA1GFZ]

Brent sounds like you need a few trenches to divert water away from the house.
I had a water come in and only had to dig 4 inches down for 3 or 4 feet to keep water from pooling up near the house. I also live on a hill. The fix may be easier than removing the swamp smell.
Snow near my bulkhead was my biggest problem. I now dig a path for the water to go as it melts.
Once I had a flood and was later invaded by the fly population.
I learned to never put any electrical stuff on the floor. I always put it up a few inches on boards or wheels.  fc

[The Slab Bacon]

Brent,
        Been there, done that! I like the good ole yankee inginuity eith the shop vac and the washer, thats pretty kool!

I used to get water so bad that it actually ran accross the floor while i was operating.
I was on the air many times with the 4X1 rig and my feet propped up on another chair because the water was actually running like a river through the radio room!

After many hours of breaking concrete, installing drains and a sump pump, and careful grading and landscaping I have conquered 99% of it and now only get an occasional trickle or wet spot. It has been an ongoing battle for years here!

I feel for you as I know what it is like. I used to sweat bullets every time it rained! I have even had to run home from work several times in the past to stave off the floods! It does feel somewhat good now not to have to worry about it anymore.
Now I am OK-Fine as long as the power doesnt drop out!

                                                                   the Slab Bacon

[WD8BIL]

Oh Brent..... I know the feeling !!!
Funny thing is ..... since I've moved to the new upstairs shack,
the dungeon hasn't flooded once.

Quite poetic .... huh!

[kc2ifr]

Jeeze Brent,
Sorry to hear that. Good thing your wife cut the power. Looks like a sump pump is in order. Been there myself in the past. The sump pump we installed worked great.
If I can help.....let me know.

Bill

[W1QWT]

Hi Brent,
Sorry to hear of your problem. Sounds worse than mine but similar. The concrete seam at the bottom of my garage cement stairwell that enters my split level house was spueing water all Sunday afternoon and evening.
My wife and I were bailing and wet vac'ing till 1:30 AM Monday morning. Must have carried about 70, 6 gallon wet vacs full out to the side yard to dump. I took a old tee shirt and impregnated it with silicone and let it dry a tad. Then I crambed it into the corner where the water was coming up from the ground and then used a 2 by 4 to force it in place by bracing it against the tee shirt and the opposite wall. That seemed to stem the tide. It was something I learned in damage control school in the Navy.
Managed to prevent most of the water from entering the house over the door threshold.
Monday I went out and bought a 600 GPH bilge pump that has an automatic mode. Only $49 versus the pumps the hardware store was selling for $100. Besides if there is a power failure I can still run mine from a car battery.
Now I am prepared if it ever happens again.

Regards
Q
W1QWT
 

[wa2zdy]

QWT I was thinking damage control as I read your post before I got to where you mentioned it. 

I'm glad you guys are ok up there.  I have friends in Mass and so I've been watching the news all week.  What a sucky mess up there.

Good luck to all of  you.

[Ed KB1HVS]

 Brent, before I finished off my basement 15 years ago,I had a company called B-Dry Systems installed a draining system. Basically a trench was cut around the parameter of the existing concrete floor and crushed stone and perforated 4 inch PVC pipe was laid. A well was installed in one corner (where my shack is) where it empties into a plastic collector. Inside of the well (collector) is two 1.3HP pumps One main and one backup pump which expels it outside. I have yet to have a drop of water here since. Knock on wood.......

[WA1GFZ]

a friend had the same system installed with the same results.
My sister's husband ran the same pipes when they built their house and it is a gravity drain about 50 feet from the house. It flows all spring.

[Vortex Joe - N3IBX]

Brent,
       I know where you're coming from! Thank God you were able to get the water out and all of your equipment remained unscathed. The biggest thing was your xyl wan't affected when she went down the basement!

I'll say a prayer that the water Godz don't return to your place and the best of luck.
Joe Cro N3IBX

[W1IA]

Thanks for the thoughts guys...In the process of ripping out the carpets. Looks like the insulation has wicked up the water and as the carpets come out more water is running out of the walls. The gods must be unhappy as it is poring out again..RRRR!

B

[Vortex Joe - N3IBX]

Thanks for the thoughts guys...In the process of ripping out the carpets. Looks like the insulation has wicked up the water and as the carpets come out more water is running out of the walls. The gods must be unhappy as it is poring out again..RRRR!

B

Brent - "WTF"? That SUCKS putty balls! Hope you get everything taken care of. Damp,dirty,soggy,smelly carpet is no fun to deal with.

Best Regards and hope that everything is back to normal soon.
Joe N3-"ib-ix"

[Ed KB1HVS]

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