Mr. Basement

Preparing Your Home for Spring Rains

Hi I'm Ron Greenbaum, Mr. Basement.  If you've got a nasty basement or crawl space, I've got 25 years of award winning modern, easy, affordable solutions for you.  Call me today for a drier, cleaner, healthier, more energy efficient home 877-DRY TIME or log onto my website.

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Please take some to review the information and videos included on this page so you are educated and prepared for the wet spring season.

Simple Preventative Measures

Correct drainage

-- Ensure roof water disperses properly
-- Run discharge lines to storm sewer (code in many areas) 
-- No negative grades (aka the ground shouldn't slope toward your home!)

Openings for water intrusion

-- Window wells should be sealed and free of debris like leaves, trash and sticks 
-- Door 'trench' floor drains should flow freely

Sump pump & battery back-up

-- Should have the correct pumping capacity for your home
-- Should be checked by our service department once per year
-- All homes need a working battery back-up sump pump

Basement Flooding

-- Call your insurance company - there will probably be a deductible 

-- Use a reputable company which has trained, experienced emergency services techs ready

Dry out basement within 48 hours to reduce the risk of mold 

-- Extract (remove) water
-- Remove contaminated contents 
-- Place air movers in affected areas
-- Don't return contents until they are verified mold free 
-- Test air if there is a musty smell

Mold Concerns

-- Can cause many allergy problems 
-- Respiratory disorders
-- Cancer
-- Very destructive to the contents and structural integrity of your home

Mold

Mold grows when three factors combine

-- Water (or excessive moisture)
-- Organic material (clothes, drywall, wood - even paint) is present
-- Mold spores (usually always present)

-- If you suspect a mold problem the first step is an inspection from a reputable company

Mold clean-up

-- Remove moisture from material being repaired
-- Isolate area being repaired

Mold sampling

-- Perform preclean-up testing
-- Again, perform after clean-up testing

Helpful mold tips

-- If area is less than 10 square feet (length times width), you might be able to clean it yourself
-- If area is larger than 10 square feet, call us
-- Don't use bleach! It's 99% water, loses potency from the moment it's manufactured and may make things worse! Bleach often removes the color of the mold, but doesn't always kill the spores.

Prevention

-- Invest in a generator before the storm

-- Install a battery back-up for the sump pump

Don't waste money on consumer grade dehumidifiers

-- Too expensive
-- Energy efficiency is sub-standard

Use the Mr. Basement SaniDry professional grade dehumidifier and air filtration miracle machine

-- Four times the water removal of consumer grade dehumidifiers
-- Filters your home's air
-- Can connect to your home's HVAC system

-- Digitally back-up important documents and photos, keep a copy off-site
-- Check your insurance policy for flood coverage before you have a problem
-- Again, don't use bleach on mold
-- Know when to call the pros!