That week in July when my basement flooded and every towel I owned got sacrificed

I live in a 1920s house in Portland and last July we got like 4 inches of rain in two days. My sump pump died at 2 AM and I woke up to ankle deep water in the finished part of the basement - ruined about $300 worth of drywall and baseboards. Took me a whole week to haul out the wet insulation, rent a industrial dehumidifier from Home Depot for $85, and get the new pump installed. Has anyone else dealt with an old house basement that just decides to become a swimming pool at the worst possible time?

3 comments

3 Comments

nina_taylor14d ago

Ugh, been there. First thing, get a backup sump pump with a battery. I put one in after my first flood and it's saved my ass twice since. Also, keep a cheap shop vac handy for the next time - it beats the hell out of sacrificing all your towels.

miasanchez14d ago

Wait, have you ever had a sump pump fail on you in the middle of a storm? I swear, my first flood was during a bad thunderstorm and the pump just quit. I ended up using a wet dry vac in the basement for like three hours while rain was pouring in. It was miserable. At least now I keep an extra pump in the garage just in case.

fionam1114d agoTop Commenter

Another angle nobody's brought up yet is checking your sump pump's discharge line. After my first flood I found out the previous owner had run the pipe to a spot that would just drain right back toward the foundation. Pump was working fine, but the water was cycling in a big loop. Relocating that line a good ten feet away from the house made the biggest difference for me. Also worth making sure it doesn't freeze up in winter since that can block things too.