Rain that enters a basement through walls, floor joints or window wells needs fast removal and a measured dry.
Fastest: call (833) 490-5225. Or send this and we call you back.
Basement flooding after heavy rain is water that enters a lower level from the ground, through foundation cracks, floor joints, window wells or a failing drain. It needs the water removed, the source identified and the walls and floor dried to measured levels. Ankeny Water Damage Restoration connects Ankeny callers with a local crew for this work at any hour.
Rain-driven basement flooding is different from a pipe leak. The water comes from the ground around the house, not from a line inside it, and it tends to enter in more than one place at once. A heavy rain can saturate the soil next to the foundation, push water against the walls and find its way through a joint, a crack, a window well or the floor where it meets the wall. By the time it is noticed, the water may cover the floor and have soaked the lowest part of the walls.
The Raccoon River basin has had large floods in 1986 and 1990, and those were driven by heavy rain falling across the watershed. A basement that floods after a storm is a different event from a river flood. It comes from a storm that drops a lot of rain in a short time on saturated ground, and the water then runs toward the lowest opening it can find.
If your basement is taking in water during or after a rain, call (833) 490-5225 once it is safe to reach the lower level. The water damage line is answered at any hour for water. Keep the stairs clear, leave the breaker alone if the panel is in water, and photograph the water line on the walls before anything is moved. A crew can then remove the water and begin the drying that the walls and floor will need.
Soil stays saturated after a heavy rain, and water keeps seeping through the foundation as the ground drains. Moisture also stays in the wall cavity, the insulation and the subfloor long after the surface has dried. Drying equipment and measured readings are what bring the lower level back to a dry condition.
A basement that is still damp two days after the rain is not necessarily taking in new water. Moisture that entered the wall can move slowly through the cavity, and the saturated soil outside can keep the foundation wet. The problem looks as if it is continuing, when much of it is the water that already got in.
The answer is measurement. A crew takes readings on the wall, the floor and the joints, and compares them over each visit. If the readings fall, the drying is working. If they hold steady or rise, the crew looks again for a source, because water is still coming in somewhere.
The height of the waterline, the age and type of wall finish, the insulation and whether the water reached the framing all decide how much material has to come out. Each is checked on site and explained before any drywall is cut. The size of the job is set by measurement, not by estimate.
The waterline on the wall shows how far the moisture reached. Water that stood a few inches up the wall affects the bottom of the drywall and the insulation. Water higher up the wall, or water that soaked up behind a finished wall, usually needs more opened and dried.
Finishes matter. Paneling and paper-faced drywall can hold water in the joints. Carpet over a concrete floor holds water in its pad. Stored items on the floor, such as boxes, shelving and furniture, add to the list. The crew explains which items can be cleaned and which cannot, and why.
Call. Waiting for the ground to dry does not remove the water already inside, and the moisture in the walls keeps working on the materials. A crew can remove the water and begin drying while the ground is still wet, and the readings show when the lower level is ready for rebuilding.
Some homeowners wait for the rain to stop and then see whether the water goes away on its own. Water that is already in the basement does not drain out through the floor in a way that dries the walls. The surface may look better while the moisture stays behind the finish.
A call early in the process usually means fewer materials have to come out. Water that is removed within a short time is easier to dry than water that has soaked in for days, and the photographs and readings taken early are the record an insurer will ask for.
Start with the things a homeowner can see: keep window wells clear, check that gutters and downspouts drain away from the foundation, and look for cracks and open joints. A sump pump and its discharge line should be checked before a storm. A technician can look at drainage and the lower-level entry points, and tell you what they find.
Most of the work to stop basement water is outside the house. Soil should slope away from the foundation, and downspouts should carry roof water well away from the walls. A window well with a cover or a drain at the bottom keeps the opening clear during a storm.
Inside, the sump pit should be checked for a working pump and a clear check valve. A discharge line that ends in the wrong place can send water back toward the house. Cracks and open joints can be marked and monitored after storms, and any change should be noted and reported to a qualified contractor for a repair decision.
Do not walk into a basement with standing water in the dark or with the power on in the wet area. Do not use an extension cord, a power strip or a portable pump in standing water. Foundation cracks that are widening, or walls that bow or lean, should be reported to a qualified professional right away, and the area below them should not be entered. Water that smells of sewage should be treated as contaminated, and gloves and boots should be worn for any contact.
A basement that is taking water is not a safe place to walk through in the dark. The first step is to check the stairs and the light, and to keep the power off in any part of the lower level that has standing water. The panel is left alone if it is wet.
Each entry point leaves its own sign. Water along a wall often comes through the joint where the wall meets the floor. Water at one corner may come through a crack. Water at a window or walkout door comes in through the opening. The crew checks each point before deciding how to stop the flow.
Standing water is pumped or extracted so the floor and the walls can be measured. The pump rate is set so the water comes out without pushing hard on a soaked foundation wall. The discharge route is chosen so the water does not run back toward the house.
Readings are taken along the wall base, on the floor and higher on the wall. Moisture that has wicked up into the cavity is found this way, even when the surface looks dry. The crew uses these readings to decide where drywall, insulation or trim has to be opened.
Drying equipment is placed to move air across the wet walls and floor, and the dehumidifier is run until the readings reach a dry level. The record of readings is kept for each visit, and equipment is removed once the structure has reached the dry level set at the start.
The joint where the basement floor meets the wall is a common entry for rain-driven water, especially when the ground outside is saturated. Water comes through in a line along the base of the wall and spreads across the floor. The drywall or paneling at the base takes the most damage, so the crew checks that section first.
A crack in a foundation wall can let water in during a heavy rain and stop once the soil dries. The crew marks the crack, notes its width and whether it is wet, and checks whether water is coming from the crack or running down the wall beside it. Cracks that are moving or widening are noted for a structural check.
A window well that fills faster than it drains can overflow into the basement through the window or the wall beneath it. The damage tends to be concentrated in the corner nearest the window, and the wall cavity there holds water. The crew checks the window frame and the wall below it.
When a sump cannot keep up with the water coming to it, the pit overflows onto the floor. A drain that backs up does the same. The crew checks the pump, the check valve and the discharge line, then looks at why the flow exceeded what the system could handle.
Call any hour and explain what is going on. You get a clear price before any work starts.
A basement call after a storm usually shows its entry point on the walls and floor. A heavy rain on saturated ground pushes water into the lowest openings of a house, and the first sign is often water at the wall-to-floor joint or in a window well. That is why this page is written around entry points, not around a single source.
The regional floods that people in Polk County remember, such as the 1986 and 1990 floods on the Raccoon River basin, were driven by heavy rain across the watershed. A storm of that kind produces saturated ground, high water tables and runoff that moves toward low ground. The same conditions can produce basement water in a neighborhood that is nowhere near a river.
Because rain-driven water finds more than one way in, the crew checks every likely entry point before it decides on a fix. A basement that flooded from the window well will not be dried the same way as one that flooded through the floor joint, and the notes from each visit record which entry point was checked and what was found there.
When a sump pit overflows or stops, the basement floor takes the water, and the drying starts after the pump is fixed.
Standing water is pumped or extracted first, in a way that protects the walls and the people in the building.
Crawl spaces and basements that took in water are measured for moisture before anything is rebuilt above them.
Creek flood water arrives fast and leaves quickly, but the moisture it leaves in walls and floors stays.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Walnut Creek is a tributary of the Raccoon River that runs through Polk and Dallas counties.
When snow melts and the ground is still wet or frozen, meltwater can run toward a foundation and find low entry points.
It depends on the policy and on the cause. Many standard homeowner policies treat water from the ground differently from a sudden pipe leak, and a separate endorsement is sometimes needed. The insurer makes the decision for your claim. Keep photographs and the drying record, and ask your insurer what the policy says.
Basement water after heavy rain comes from saturated ground and runoff, not only from a river. A storm can flood a low basement entry even when the nearest river is far away. The crew looks at the entry point on your home, not the river level.
A sump pump is designed to remove water that collects at the pit. If the pit fills and the pump runs constantly, check that the pump is working, the discharge is clear and the check valve is not stuck. If water still reaches the floor, call for help.
A surface that feels dry can still hold moisture in the wall cavity. A moisture reading is the reliable check. It shows whether the wall is still drawing moisture and where, and the crew can take a reading on request.
Only where moisture readings show the water has reached the wall cavity, and only in the area needed. The crew shows you the readings and the cut locations before cutting. Materials that cannot be dried are removed, and each one is explained.
Move what you can to a dry room, and photograph anything that stood in water before it is moved. Items that were in standing water may be unsafe to keep, and some can be cleaned. The crew can help sort them and explain the options.