Expert Advice
Maxwell: How to deal with flooded basement flooring
November 25, 2011
Steve Maxwell
SPECIAL TO THE STAR
Q: How should I deal with the floor in my basement that has just flooded? Some of the prefinished hardwood has started to swell. I assume I will need to lift the entire lot and dispose of it, but thought I’d check to see if you have any tips.
A: I’m sorry to hear about your troubles. If it’s any consolation, flooded basements are tragically common. I’d start by draining and drying your basement as quickly as possible, just to see what happens. Running fans and a couple of dehumidifiers is a good way to start.
Although it’s standard practice — and often necessary — to automatically tear out wet flooring, I have seen situations where drying without removal worked perfectly. The trick is speed. Even if swelling and permanent damage remains, and removal of the floor turns out to be required, at least you gave it a try.
If you do end up installing new flooring, do all you can to address the causes of the leak. Also, be sure to install a subfloor system that offers protection against minor leaks. These can make the difference between a ruined floor and no damage at all in some cases of flooding.
Q: What’s the best container to store carrots in my root cellar? Will plastic do or must I use metal? We’ve just moved into a house with a cellar below the front porch and I’m really excited about storing food for the winter.
A: Storing root crops buried in sand-filled containers is a great way to keep them crisp in a cold cellar. I prefer metal for this. You can certainly use a food-grade plastic container, but my concern is about what we currently consider “food-grade.”
There’s mounting evidence to show that some kinds of plastics powerfully mimic the action of female hormones in the human body. At the moment this is only a concern for certain types of plastic, but our knowledge is limited.
Rather than try to figure out which plastics are safe and which are not, I prefer to keep stored food away from plastics as much as possible. This is the thinking behind root storage in new galvanized metal garbage cans when used with sand. Using this method I’ve successfully stored beets for more than a year in my root cellar.
Q: What are my options for getting power to a cottage I’m building? Neighbouring property owners don’t want hydro poles on their land, and going underground is too expensive.
A: Off-the-grid power systems are more practical and affordable than ever, and the best set-ups I’ve seen include a mix of technologies. The starting point should be photovoltaic (PV) panels. They sit on your roof and silently make electricity from sunlight without any moving parts.
Any array of panels you choose needs to be large enough to generate a total stored quantity of electrical power that’s sufficient for most of the time when you want to operate equipment while the sun is blocked by clouds or it’s nighttime.
Power from your PV panels charge a bank of batteries that can be used to power items directly that are designed to use direct current, or converted into 120 volt power of the sort used to energize small or medium-sized plug-in household appliances.
Cooking requires more power than is practical to provide with photovoltaics, and that’s why many people combine PV with propane for cooking and sometimes refrigeration.
Depending on your expectations for having electrical power always available, you might also consider supplementing your system with a gasoline powered backup generator. This can be used to charge batteries when the PV panels can’t keep up or when you want more electrical power than the batteries can provide.
At this stage, the typical way for people to make alternate energy systems part of their lives does not necessarily involve choosing and installing each component from scratch. A growing number of retailers are offering photovoltaic packages and technical guidance. This takes a lot of the guesswork out of living beyond the grid.
Steve Maxwell, syndicated home improvement and woodworking columnist, has shared his DIY tips, how-to videos and product reviews since 1988. Visit him at www.SteveMaxwell.ca, Facebook at Canada’s Handiest Man or @Maxwells_Tips on Twitter.