Where basement water comes from
Most Aurora basement floods come from inside the house. A water heater tank rusts through, a washer hose splits, or a sump pump stops running during a storm. Water heaters cause a lot of these in older homes, since so many sit in the basement and have run well past their expected life.
Water also comes in from outside. Heavy spring rain and fast snowmelt can push water through window wells, foundation cracks and the joint where the wall meets the floor. Much of the metro sits on clay soil that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, and over the years that movement opens cracks in basement walls.
Sewer water is the third source. If the water came up through a floor drain, it needs sewage cleanup, which has its own page.
How a crew handles a finished basement
Finished basements hold water in places you can't see. The crew will usually:
- Pump out standing water and extract the carpet. Pad almost always comes out because it holds water like a sponge.
- Cut drywall a foot or two above the water line so air can reach the studs and insulation.
- Check under laminate and vinyl plank floors, which trap water on the concrete.
- Pull baseboards and open lower cabinets so they dry instead of rot.
- Run dehumidifiers and air movers for several days, with meter readings to show when it is dry.
Colorado air is dry, which helps once the water is out. A sealed basement still holds moisture, so drying equipment does most of the work.
Basements across Aurora
Nearly every Aurora neighborhood has basements, from the small block basements under 1950s houses in Hoffman Heights to the walkout lower levels in Saddle Rock and Tallyn's Reach. The newer the house, the more likely the basement is finished with carpet, a bathroom, a bedroom and a home theater, which means more to dry and more to remove when water gets in.
Storms matter too. In the September 2013 floods, Aurora got seven to eight inches of rain in a few days. East Tollgate Creek ran over its banks near Buckley Road, and parks built to hold storm water, like Expo Park and Utah Park, filled up. Rain like that pushes water into basements through window wells and floor drains, and smaller summer storms do the same thing on a few streets at a time.
Crews cover all of Aurora, including 80010 through 80019 and 80045, and nearby towns like Centennial and Parker.