Temporarily Waterproof Your Basement Office Until You Get A Sump Pump Placed

If you contract, freelance or operate a small business out of your basement, you can lose money and clients when you don't waterproof the basement properly. Serious problems like a flooded basement can affect your company's bottom line – especially if you lose good clients and contractors because of it.

Your waterproofing experts, like those at Safe Guard Waterproofing, can keep your basement office safe and secure with a sump pump. Until they do place the pump, you can temporarily prevent flooding in the basement and keep your clients and contractors happy.

Prevent Flooding in Your Basement Office – Keep Your Clients and Contractors Happy

When your area experiences heavy rains, the water from these rains may soak into the soil around your basement. If the water penetrates the foundation of the basement, it may flood the room. The flooding water can eventually get high enough to reach the electrical outlets that power your computer, printer and other electronics. Not only do you face problems in your foundation and electronics – you may also create unhappy clients and contractors.

If you need to complete projects for your clients or finish up freelance assignments for other contractors, you could potentially lose their services when you don't meet their needs or deadlines. This may hurt your bottom line for the year, as well as make you appear unprofessional to your clients and contractors. You can protect your company's reputation and income with a few temporary fixes.

Here's what you can do:

• Dig a 9-inch deep trench around the basement's foundation – A trench acts as a temporary holder for the excess rain water. It may also allow the water to run off into the yard instead of your basement office.
• Place sandbags around your basement – You can place water-absorbing sandbags around the basement's interior and exterior foundation to keep rainwater out. The sand may soak up the water before it reaches your electrical outlets. 
• Line the basement's interior wall with cotton sheets – Cotton absorbs moisture and wetness, even from rain. You can use old cotton sheets or blankets to line or waterproof the bottom foundation of your basement's walls. 

If none of the temporary solutions above work for you, you can always move your office upstairs until your waterproofing contractors secure the basement with a sump pump.

Install a Sump Pump to Permanently Prevent Basement Flooding

A sump pump is a waterproofing necessity that sends water away from your basement through a pit or basin. Waterproofing contractors typically place the pit somewhere below your basement's foundation. Contractors may also utilize a crawlspace located near your basement to place the sump pit.

A sump pump can help protect your basement office from flooding, as well as the problems that occur from it. For instance, excess moisture in and around your basement may create mold growth in your office when the room's humidity goes up. High humidity allows the spores of mold to grow and spread to other locations in the basement, such as beneath a wooden office desk and printing paper.

Mold isn't always noticeable when it grows. However, it can eventually make you experience a number of symptoms like these below:

• Headaches
• Nasal dripping or discharge
• Coughing and sneezing

A sump pump is your best defense against flooding and mold growth because it pumps water away from your basement before it overflows into the foundation beneath it.

Waterproofing your basement office will most likely take a few days to carry out. During that time your contractors may discuss other waterproofing methods, such as installing mold-resistant insulation in the walls of your basement's foundation. The right insulation works with your sump pump to keep the room dry all year round. If you have questions about waterproofing your basement office, contact a reputable contractor in your area for additional help.