If there is water in the basement right now
Flooded Basement: What to Do First
Do these in order. None of them needs a contractor, and every step comes from FEMA, the CDC or Wisconsin's health department. We are a waterproofing contractor, and in the first hours of a flood we are usually not the first call. This page says who is, how pumping and drying should go, what insurance tends to cover, and how to work out, once it is dry, why the water got in.
Stay out of the water until the power is off
Submerged outlets or cords can energize the water. If the breaker panel is dry and you can reach it without stepping in water, shut off the main. If you can't, call an electrician or the electric utility.
Smell gas? Leave
Get everyone out and call the gas company from outside or from a neighbor's house.
Stop what you can stop
A burst pipe or water heater: close the main water shutoff. Water coming up the floor drain: stop running sinks, toilets and the washer, because that water goes down the same pipe.
Treat the water as dirty
The CDC warns that floodwater may contain sewage. Rubber boots, rubber gloves and goggles if you must go in, and keep children out.
Photograph it before anything moves
Pictures and video of the water, the damage and the contents, before cleanup. Then call your insurance company or agent.
No gas engines inside
Gas-powered pumps, generators and pressure washers run outdoors, at least 20 feet from windows, doors and vents. Their exhaust is carbon monoxide.
Safety before water
What to Do First With a Flooded Basement: Power, Gas and Fumes
Water in a basement is rarely the thing that hurts people. The electricity in it, the gas appliances beside it and the engines people bring in to pump it are. The checklist above is the short version; here is what the agencies behind it actually say.
Electricity in a flooded basement
The Red Cross and FEMA flood repair booklet puts it flatly: never go into a basement with standing water in it unless you are sure the electricity is off. You can turn the power off yourself if you can reach the panel without going through or standing in water; the CDC says that if you must enter standing water to reach the main switch, call an electrician to turn it off. The CDC also says to have an electrician check the house's electrical system before the power goes back on, and the CPSC says breakers, fuses and wiring that were under water should be replaced.
Gas appliances, the furnace and the water heater
Furnaces and water heaters sit on the basement floor, so they are often the first things wet. The CPSC's advice is to have a professional or your gas or electric company evaluate the house before using appliances, and to replace gas control valves that have been under water. The Red Cross booklet adds that a water heater whose gas burner, electrical parts or insulation got wet should be replaced, or cleaned and restarted by a professional. If you smell gas at any point, the CDC and CPSC both say to leave the house and call from outside.
Sewage and contaminated basement water
Wisconsin's Department of Health Services notes that sewage can back flow from a municipal or septic system through floor drains and toilets, and that affected basements must be cleaned and disinfected. The EPA's mold guide says that when damage was caused by sewage or other contaminated water, call a professional experienced with it. The EPA also says people with asthma or weakened immune systems, children and pregnant people should not take part in flood cleanup at all.
Carbon monoxide from gas pumps and generators
A rented trash pump or a generator in the basement doorway is how a flood turns into a poisoning. The CDC says never to use a generator, pressure washer or any gasoline-powered engine inside a home, basement or garage, or less than 20 feet from any window, door or vent. Wisconsin law already requires carbon monoxide detectors in homes where fuel is burned, so check that yours is working before anything with an engine starts up nearby.
Private wells after a basement flood
Plenty of homes outside the cities in the Chippewa Valley are on a private well. If floodwater reached the wellhead, the Wisconsin DNR says to stop drinking the water or cooking with it, to have the well and plumbing disinfected, best done by a licensed well driller or pump installer, and to test for coliform bacteria before using it again. DHS adds E. coli to the test, and the Eau Claire City-County Health Department offers water sample kits.
Who does what
Who to Call for a Flooded Basement, and When It Isn't Us
Here is the admission that costs us work: with water still on the floor, a waterproofing contractor is usually the wrong first call. We do not extract water, dry basements, tear out drywall, treat mold or handle insurance claims. Those are restoration jobs, and the companies that do them carry the pumps, dehumidifiers and moisture meters for it.
Water near power
Electrician or electric utility
Shuts off and checks power you can't safely reach, and checks the system before it goes back on.
A gas smell
Gas company
Call from outside the house, then follow their instructions before anyone goes back in.
Pipes, water heater, sewer
Plumber
Stops a burst line, deals with a failed water heater, and clears or camera-inspects a backed-up sewer lateral. If the backup may be in the public main, the City of Eau Claire's Utilities Division is the other call.
Standing water and wet materials
Water mitigation or restoration company
Extracts the water, sets up drying equipment, measures moisture, removes what can't be saved and handles sewage-contaminated cleanup. This is the usual first call.
Coverage
Your insurance agent
Call early. What is covered depends on what caused the water, and the adjuster may want to see damaged materials before they go to the curb.
A dead sump pump, or once it is dry
A waterproofing contractor, like us
Gets a failed sump running again, then works out why the water got in and fixes the cause so it does not happen again.
One more piece of advice from the side of the trade that would benefit from ignoring it: do not let anyone sell you a full waterproofing system in the middle of the emergency. The cause will still be there next week, the evidence of what it was will be easier to read on a dry floor, and a decision that size deserves more than one written quote.
Where the water came from
Why Basements Flood: Tracing the Basement Water Source
Almost every flooded basement traces back to one of six sources, and each leaves its own marks. Read them before the cleanup erases them: take a photo of the water line on the walls, note where the water was deepest and where it showed up first, and pay attention to how it looked and smelled. The drawing and the table use the same numbers.
| Source | What it leaves behind | Who is first | The fix that stops a repeat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roof water and grading | Water came in at one wall or corner during or just after a hard rain; silt along that wall; a downspout or a low spot right outside it | Restoration company if there is much water; nothing to shut off | Downspout extensions and a rebuilt grade; see yard drainage |
| Window well | A wet streak down the wall under one window, silt on the sill, a well that holds water or is packed with leaves and debris | Restoration company for the floor | Clean, cover and drain the well; see window wells |
| Groundwater | A level water line on every wall; water first along the base of the walls or up through floor cracks; often with the river or the water table high | Restoration company; pump out slowly | Drain tile at the footing into a sump, or a membrane outside; see interior drainage and exterior work |
| Sump pump failure | Water deepest around the pit and spreading out; a pump that is silent, stuck or running nonstop; a power outage during the storm; a frozen or crushed discharge line | Get the pump running again; restoration company if the water is deep | Repair or replace the pump, add backup power, fix the discharge; see sump pumps |
| Sewer backup | Water came up through the floor drain or a basement toilet or shower; dark, foul-smelling, with paper or debris | Plumber, the city if the main is involved, and a restoration company that handles sewage | A plumber's job: the lateral and a backwater valve. Not waterproofing |
| Plumbing failure | Clear, odorless water that started near a fixture: the water heater, a washer hose, a supply line; a water meter still moving with everything off | Close the main shutoff; plumber | The plumbing repair. Usually nothing for us to do |
A starting point, not a diagnosis. Two sources at once is common: the storm that overfills the gutters is also the one that knocks out the power to the sump.
Groundwater floods on low ground by the rivers
Most of Eau Claire sits on sandy river outwash with the water table well below basement depth, so most basement water here starts at the surface. The exception is the low ground along the Chippewa and Eau Claire rivers, where the water table sits close to the surface and rises with the river; the National Weather Service's flood notes for the Eau Claire gauge list water in some downtown business basements once the river passes minor flood stage. Melt running over still-frozen ground does something similar on higher ground, which is why April is when many basements around here take on water.
Sump pump failure during a storm
A sump pump fails in a handful of ways: the power goes out in the same storm that fills the pit; the float switch sticks; the pump is undersized or worn and falls behind; or the discharge line freezes, clogs or gets crushed, so the water cycles back. Most pumps have a service life of around seven to ten years. Water deepest at the pit, with the walls and floor otherwise dry before it overflowed, points here.
Sewer backup through the floor drain
If the water rose out of the floor drain, it is sewer water, and it is a plumbing problem rather than a waterproofing one. In Eau Claire the homeowner is responsible for the sewer lateral from the house out to and including its connection at the public main, typically near the middle of the street, so a clog or root intrusion in that line is yours to fix. A backup in the main itself is the city's.
Reading basement water by its line, smell and color
A level line at the same height on every wall means water that rose: groundwater, the river or a backup. A streak from one spot means a point source, such as a window or a downspout. Silt means surface water. Clear and odorless means supply plumbing. Restoration companies classify the water under the IICRC S500 standard, whose Category 3, grossly contaminated water, explicitly includes sewage, wasteline backflows from beyond a trap and rising water from rivers or streams. Ask which category they assigned; it decides what can be cleaned and what gets thrown out.
Pumping out and drying
Basement Flooding Repair: Pumping Out and Drying Before Fixing the Cause
Basement flooding repair happens in two jobs, usually by two different companies: getting the water out and the house dry, then fixing whatever let it in. The order matters, and so does the pace.
Hour one
Make it safe
Power off, gas checked, no engines indoors, photos taken.
Who: YouFirst hours
Stop the source and make the calls
Shut the water main for a plumbing leak, get a dead sump running, call the insurer and a restoration company.
Who: You, a plumber, us for the sumpDay one onward
Pump down slowly if the ground is soaked
FEMA: start once floodwater no longer covers the ground outside, pump about a foot, mark the level, wait overnight, repeat daily.
Who: Restoration companyFirst 24 to 48 hours
Wet materials out
The EPA's window for drying before mold growth is likely. What can't be cleaned and dried in time usually goes.
Who: Restoration companyDays to weeks
Drying
The EPA says drying usually takes several days to weeks. Fans and dehumidifiers run once the power is safe.
Who: Restoration companyOnce it is dry
Find the cause and fix it
Inspection, a plain explanation and a written price, or a straight answer that nothing is needed.
Who: Us, or a plumber
Pumping out a flooded basement without cracking the walls
When the ground outside is flooded or saturated, the water in the basement is pushing back against the soil pressure on the walls. FEMA warns that draining it too fast could collapse cellar walls, floors and the foundation, so its advice is to begin pumping when floodwaters no longer cover the ground outside, pump out a foot, mark the level, wait overnight and repeat daily. Wisconsin DHS: don't rush to pump it out. If the mark is under water again the next morning, the ground is still feeding the basement and it is too soon. The reason is outside pressure, so a few inches from a burst supply line in a dry week is a different case.
Drying a flooded basement: dehumidifiers, fans and the 24 to 48 hour window
The EPA says to dry water-damaged areas and items within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold growth, and to use fans and dehumidifiers once the electricity is safe, though not to blow fans across mold that has already started growing, because they can spread it. Its target afterward is indoor humidity below 60 percent, ideally 30 to 50. Dry concrete takes longer than it looks; the EPA says drying usually takes several days to weeks.
Wet drywall, carpet and ceiling tile in a flooded basement
The EPA's rule is to throw away materials that soak up a lot of water, such as drywall, carpet and ceiling tiles, and most things that got wet and can't be thoroughly cleaned and dried within 24 to 48 hours. It also cautions about asbestos and lead dust before removing wallboard and floor or ceiling tiles. With about one in six Eau Claire homes built before 1940, that caution applies to plenty of basements here. Photograph everything and keep samples for the adjuster before it goes.
Mold after a basement flood
If you could not dry things within 24 to 48 hours, the EPA says to assume you have mold growth. A patch under about 10 square feet is usually a do-it-yourself job; more than that, a lot of water damage, or damage caused by sewage, calls for a professional. The EPA does not recommend bleach as a routine mold treatment, because dead mold still causes reactions and has to be removed anyway, and every agency says never to mix bleach with ammonia. We do not do mold remediation.
What a water restoration company does, and what it costs
A restoration company classifies the water, extracts it, removes what cannot be saved, sets up drying equipment and takes moisture readings until the structure is dry, and it often works with your insurer. For a national frame of reference, Fixr's water damage restoration guide (updated January 31, 2025) puts restoration at $1,200 to $5,000 with a national average of $3,000. Those are national averages for that work, not local prices and not ours, since we do not do it.
Insurance basics
Flood Insurance and Basement Water: What Policies Usually Cover
Coverage turns on what caused the water, not how deep it got. This is homeowner background, not insurance or legal advice, and we do not handle claims; your policy's wording and your agent decide it. The table sums up what the National Flood Insurance Program, the Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance, the NAIC and the Insurance Information Institute publish.
| What caused the water | Standard homeowners policy | Sewer and sump backup endorsement | NFIP flood policy |
|---|---|---|---|
| A burst pipe or failed water heater | Typically covered: NAIC says homeowners policies cover a "sudden and accidental" discharge from plumbing | Not needed for this | Not a flood |
| Sewer backup from a clogged lateral, no flooding nearby | Excluded, per Wisconsin's insurance commissioner | This is what the endorsement is for | Not covered: FloodSmart says a backup caused by clogged pipes is not |
| Sump pump failure or overflow, no flooding nearby | Excluded, per Wisconsin's insurance commissioner | The commissioner says this endorsement is required | Not covered without a flood as the cause, per FEMA's claims handbook |
| A flood: two or more acres or two or more properties under water | Excluded from standard policies | Not flood insurance; check the wording | Covered, within the basement limits below |
| A sewer or sump backup caused by that flood | Excluded | Check the wording | Covered if the backup is a direct result of flooding, per FloodSmart |
Summarized from FloodSmart, FEMA's NFIP claims handbook and basement fact sheet, Wisconsin OCI consumer guides PI-015 and PI-240, NAIC and Triple-I, checked November 2026.
NFIP flood insurance in a basement
The NFIP treats any area with a floor below ground level on all sides as a basement, and covers only specific items there: among them furnaces and water heaters, sump pumps, central air, electrical boxes, outlets and switches, unfinished drywall, stairways and the foundation itself, plus cleanup. Washers, dryers and freezers fall under contents coverage. Finished walls and flooring, built-ins and personal property are excluded, and the policy will not pay to remove basement carpet. A new policy generally takes effect 30 days after purchase.
Sewer backup and sump overflow endorsements
Wisconsin's insurance commissioner says losses from a sewer or sump pump backing up are not covered by a homeowners policy and probably not by flood insurance, and that sewer backup coverage is an endorsement most insurers offer but may not offer you unless you ask. Triple-I says the same: it must be bought separately or as an endorsement. If your basement has a sump or a floor drain, it is worth one phone call to your agent before the next storm.
Documenting a basement water claim
FloodSmart's claim steps: report the loss to your insurer as soon as possible; take photos and video of damaged property before cleaning, fixing or throwing it out; keep samples of damaged items such as carpet, flooring and curtains; and record the make, model and serial number of appliances. For NFIP policies, FEMA says to submit the proof of loss form within 60 days of the loss.
After it is dry
Preventing the Next Basement Flood
Once the floor is dry, the question changes from how to get the water out to why it came in. That is the part we do. The fix follows the source, and for some floods the honest answer is that there is nothing for a waterproofing contractor to fix.
- Sump failure: a sump pump repair or replacement, battery backup and a discharge that won't freeze
- Groundwater: basement waterproofing with drain tile at the footing, or foundation waterproofing outside
- Leaking cracks: injection through the full wall; see foundation crack repair
- Runoff and window wells: yard drainage, downspouts, well covers, and french drains that intercept water
- Sewer or plumbing: a plumber, not us
Keeping the sump running through an outage
The storms that run a sump hardest are the ones most likely to knock out the power, and a standard pump does nothing without it. A battery backup takes over automatically, a check valve keeps pumped water from draining back into the pit, and a discharge line laid out to keep flowing in January keeps a frozen outlet from doing what a dead pump would. If your flood started at the pit, this is usually where the fix is.
Relieving groundwater pressure at the footing
When water came in along the base of the walls or up through the floor, the lasting fixes relieve the pressure rather than try to hold it back: drain tile beside the footing feeding a sump, or a membrane and footing drain on the outside of a wall that is dug out. Interior work can be done year-round. Individual cracks that leaked get injected through the full wall.
Grading, downspouts and window wells
If the water came in at one corner or under one window, start outside. Extend the downspouts, rebuild the grade so it falls away from the house, and clean, cover and drain the window wells. These are the cheapest fixes on this page, some of them are weekend jobs you can do yourself, and they are the first things we check.
Backwater valves and sewer laterals
A sewer backup is plumbing. A plumber can camera the lateral for roots, sags or breaks and talk to you about a backwater valve, which lets wastewater out and closes when sewage tries to come back in. We don't do that work, and nothing we install stops a sewer backup.
When a basement flood needs no waterproofing at all
A failed water heater, a burst supply line or a washer hose that let go is a one-time event with a plumbing fix. So is a pump that simply lost power in one outage, where the fix is backup power, not a new perimeter system. If the basement was damp or seeping long before the flood, that is a different, chronic problem, and our basement leak repair guide covers how it gets traced.
FAQ
Flooded Basement Questions
Do you do flooded basement cleanup?
No. We do not do water extraction, drying, tear-out, mold remediation, sewage cleanup or insurance claim work. For the water itself, call a water mitigation or restoration company; for a burst pipe, a water heater or a sewer backup, a plumber; and call your insurance agent early. Our part comes once the basement is dry: we find out why it flooded and fix that, whether it is the sump, the drainage at the footing, a leaking crack, a window well or the grading outside. The one exception is a sump pump that quit mid-storm, because getting it running again is sump pump repair, which we do.
Should I pump out a flooded basement right away?
Not if the ground outside is still flooded or saturated. FEMA's guidance is to begin pumping when floodwaters are no longer covering the ground outside, pump out about a foot of water, mark the level and wait overnight, and repeat daily, because draining too fast can collapse cellar walls and floors. Wisconsin's health department says the same thing in fewer words: don't rush to pump it out. Water from a burst supply line on dry ground is a different situation, but the power still has to be off first.
How soon does mold grow after a basement flood?
Fast. The EPA says to dry water-damaged areas and items within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold growth, and its flood cleanup page warns that mold can grow on wood, drywall, carpet and furniture that stay wet for more than 24 hours. If you could not get things dry in that window, the EPA's disaster mold guide says to assume you have mold growth.
Does homeowners insurance cover a flooded basement?
It depends on where the water came from. A sudden and accidental discharge from plumbing, such as a burst pipe, is typically covered by a homeowners policy. Flood is excluded from standard homeowners policies and needs separate flood insurance, and Wisconsin's insurance commissioner says neither a homeowners policy nor a flood policy covers sewer backup or sump pump overflow without a special endorsement. Your policy's wording decides it, so call your agent before you throw anything away.
Does one basement flood mean I need waterproofing?
Not necessarily. A flood from a failed water heater, a burst supply line or a washer hose needs a plumber, not waterproofing. A sump pump that lost power in an outage may need nothing more than a backup. Waterproofing work makes sense when the water came through the walls, the cove joint or the floor, or when the same basement keeps taking water. Wait until it is dry, find the cause, and get more than one opinion before signing anything.
Free inspection
Find Out Why It Flooded Before It Happens Again
Once the water is out and the floor is dry, we will look at the sump, the walls, the floor drain and the grading outside, tell you what most likely let the water in, and give you a written price for the fix, at no charge. If it was a one-off that needs nothing from us, that is what we will tell you.