Basements and Storage

[voidsherpa]

Just had a thought, and something I have kinda overlooked as anything more than a short term issue. I have a bit of longterm food storage in the basement on shelving that starts about a foot off the ground and goes up. If power was out for longer periods of time, how high can a basement flood is my question? Have a battery backup, generator, even a gas pump but just seem kind of short term.

 

[dwh79]

Depends on how the water would be entering the basement. If it is mostly ground water you get a depth based on that elevation if getting in via sub drainage then depends on how well the surrounding soil absorbs the flow of water coming in through the perforated drains on when the level will quit rising and start soaking into the ground if big hole in foundation and no one notices for awhile you could,d get anywhere from a couple inches to feet. Every situation would be different. Ask your neighbors if they have experience with flooding.

 

[Icarry2]

Theoretically completely full..

 

[spencer rifle]

Move out of the flood plain.

 

[snorko]

A couple years ago my basementflooded due to extreme heavy rain. Sump could not pump out as the sewer system was full. Happened over a 7 to 8 hour period overnight. Max depth was around 2 feet on avg. Sump along with extra pump had it cleared in about 8 hours or so. Basement is 1,450 SF.

Neighbor whose house is almost a mirror image but with a 1,000 SF basement has an exterior door below grade with open stairs leading down. Surface water fooded in that way and they had between 5'-6' . I walked over and looked at the basement door and water was jetting out the keyhole under pretty good pressure.

I posted on here when it happened and followed with a thread on ammo that got soaked. Short answer, 7 to 8 hours did minimal dammage to cased 7.62x39 ammo and milsyrp ammo cans submerged for that time were bone dry.

 

[eldirector]

To the top.

My grandmother's place flooded a few years ago. Standing water in the yard, and the basement was full to the top of the stairs. Complete loss of everything down there. She has dual sump pumps, but there was nowhere for the water to go. Took a gas-powered pump a couple of hours to drain it once there was someplace to pump it to.

On the flip side, my grandfather (other side of the family) built his house on top of a hill. Full basement, no sump pump. Just some drain tiles. The creek below the house has jumped the banks several times (to the point the road was under 2-3 feet of water), but the basement has never had a drop of water in it.

I wouldn't want a basement where we live now. Ground is too flat, and doesn't drain well at all. You would depend on a pump 100%, and anything mechanical will eventually fail.

 

[Lex Concord]

Just had a thought, and something I have kinda overlooked as anything more than a short term issue. I have a bit of longterm food storage in the basement on shelving that starts about a foot off the ground and goes up. If power was out for longer periods of time, how high can a basement flood is my question? Have a battery backup, generator, even a gas pump but just seem kind of short term.

As others have stated, the lay of the land around your home will likely have the greatest impact on your flooding potential.

If your topography doesn't lend itself to turning your basement into an in-ground pool, you might consider the following:

* Battery-operated water level alarms. The earlier your warning, the more time you have to act. Time is your friend. Potential flood situations aren't limited to power outages
* Have at least one extra battery for your backup pump on hand. If you need to run the generator, you can recharge your spare(s) with a charger while it's on. Or with your car... or possibly a solar array, or ???
* Think about a manually-operated bilge pump in-line with your main and backup pumps.
* Reduce the load on your drainage/sump system by ensuring as much runoff as possible is directed as far away from your foundation as possible. The person operating the bilge pump while you swap backup batteries will appreciate it

 

[Cameramonkey]

And to add food for thought, make sure your output lines can handle the pump capacity. Wife's grandparents' basement flooded. Why? because some rocket scientist decided that a garden hose was adequate for the sump because... well? I have absolutely NO idea why. Other than maybe it was simpler/less intrusive than a 1 1/4" hose running along the wall.

After they totally flooded because the pumps couldnt keep up after one of the biblical storms several years ago, a contractor updated the system and now its sealed/adequately sized.

 

[bobjones223]

If the power is out long enough it will fill to whatever the ground water elevation is. This could 1' below the outside ground elevation or the basement will stay dry? Our house in Noblesville has NO sump pump or pit and simple dehumidifier keeps up with any moisture we may get. On the flip side at our cabin in norther Indiana we actually have positive ground water pressure. We have a shallow well with an above ground pump, the well head actually site 12" above the ground. When I remove the pump and valves water actually free flows out the pipe 12" above the ground.

So long story short the only way to truly know is wait until the fall rains start, unplug the sump pump and wait until the water stops rising.

I think I would just get a battery backup unit if in the city. If you are in the country I small generator would serve you well also. A lot of this depends on how often your pump cycles. I know of a house that someone had me come take a look at that they had two sump pumps that ran 24/7, in that case an additional long term power source would be required...not a battery system. Side note I did inform them that I think when their basement was dug that there was a field tile that was cut and never rerouted around so I still think they are pumping the water from half the neighborhood.

 

[Thor]

I guess it all depends on the basement. Mine is a walkout that shouldn't see any water based on the 500yr flood plane. Can it happen? Sure. But if it does I'll just carry my stuff upstairs. Also, my whole garden would be underwater at that point.

 

[mikebol]

If you have a flooding concern, how about using 35 gallon plastic barrels with lids in your basement? If the area did flood, these would float like bobbers and should be water tight.

Mike (has been investigating barrels )

 

[tomylee0123]

If flooding is a main concern, then move to higher ground. I keep lots of canned food and ammo in can in the basement. Those can be replacable after the flood, but cant be replaced during shtf.

 

[firefighterjohn]

I guess it all depends on the basement. Mine is a walkout that shouldn't see any water based on the 500yr flood plane. Can it happen? Sure. But if it does I'll just carry my stuff upstairs. Also, my whole garden would be underwater at that point.

Mine is the same way, but we have an emergency 6" tile with stand-pipe that runs all the way to draininage ditch. With the deluge we had last Monday, I was sure gld it worked great!

 

[tc556guy]

To the top, or at least to the natural water table. If you're worried about the sump failing, invest in a trash pump. They're cheap insurance, and during flooding around here the fire departments can't keep up with the demand for their limited number of trash pumps

 

[dieselrealtor]

During the flood of 2008 (Morgan & Johnson counties mainly), I witnessed several basements that had water up to the floor joists of the main level. One client of mine noticed his basement starting to fill with water, used a gas powered pool pump & it wouldn't keep up.

Of course the utility providers turned off the power & the natural gas, so pumps didn't work & generators plumbed to natural gas didn't work either, something to think about.

 

[Greyson]

Another thought: Don't store all your preps in one place.
I expect that my neighborhood will be over-run in any conceivable SHTF scenario. Half my necessities are stored off-site and I'm beginning to develop a third location.

I know this does not answer your question, but hopefully its helpful.

 

[karoozin]

Great idea using barrels to protect items in the basement.