Last year our basement flooded as a result of extremely high lake levels in our area.
Misery loves company, they say, and we had lots of neighbors who were miserable right along with us.
By the time the water was pumped out, we had major work ahead of us. We sorted through the personal items that had been stored there, separating what we could and could not salvage. We pulled up the carpeting and tore off the drywall from the workout room. And we purchased a commercial strength dehumidifier to eliminate the mustiness and the mold. But we knew that we needed professionals to assess and fix the damage to our HVAC system. Thankfully, our HVAC technician was available soon after we called him. He had been busy with other homes in the area, but confirmed our concern about the danger of a novice trying to fix a problem with electricity, gas and corrosion. Although the outside of the unit was dry, our technician found that some of the valves were corroded and needed to be replaced. Also, several of the electrical components had gotten wet and needed to be replaced. Thankfully, the blower motor wasn’t damaged, which could have been a costly replacement. He did insist that the pilot and burner orifices be replaced, and of course a new (and dry) air filter was inserted. Finally, our technician cleaned out the interior of the unit from some of the debris from the flood and dried everything out. By the time our HVAC repairman was finished, the bill was reasonable, given the extent of the flood. But our furnace is running great and the dehumidifier has done a good job of drying out the entire basement.