It wasn’t Katrina. But the recent storms were painful enough for those who lost power, got water or otherwise went into battle-mode against the elements and subsequent power failure. In between bailing water, hunting down portable generators and “dining” on Cheerios, many folks realized how ill-prepared they were.
And so, there were lessons to be learned here. The Home&Garden staff put together a list of do’s, don’t’s, tips and general information (about esoteric things like gel batteries and No. 12 extension cords), in the event of a next time.
DO
* Buy a battery-operated LED head lamp (Lowe’s and REI sell them ) or a flashlight with a wrist strap. Trying to hold a flashlight and do anything else (such as installing a battery into a backup unit for the sump pump) is too much for one person to handle.
* Make sure you have at least one corded phone in the house if you have traditional (land-line) phone service. That corded phone will work in a power outage (a cordless will not), provided phone lines aren’t down. Same goes for Comcast phone service, provided cable service hasn’t been lost.
* Buy a car charger for your cell phone so you can power up when electricity is lost.
* If you’re going to buy a battery backup system for your sump pump, make sure you buy one that “moves as close to or the equivalent amount of water” as your main sump pump, according to Lou Manfredini, a former Chicago-area homebuilder turned do-it-yourself consultant (he is Ace Hardware’s “Helpful Hardware Man”) and media man (host of “Mr. Fix-It” on WGN-AM 720 on Saturday mornings and “House Smarts” on NBC-Ch. 5 on Saturday mornings and evenings). “It’s a mistake that a lot of people make,” Manfredini says. “They have a main pump that moves 2,800 gallons per hour,” which is typical for a residential sump pump. And then “they go out and buy a backup system that moves only 1,800 gallons per hour.”
* Consider gel batteries (a.k.a. AGM batteries, which are relatively new on the home front and can be found at automotive and some hardware stores) for your sump pump backup system . They can last up to 48 hours in a normal rain when the power is lost, because the system will be turning on and off. In a big storm, however, under constant use, a gel battery (about $200) likely will last only a couple hours longer than a standard deep cell battery (generally less than $100). And they need to be replaced every five years, according to Manfredini. But the real beauty of a gel battery is that it is maintenance-free, Manfredini says. You don’t need to add water every six months.
DON’T
* Don’t keep the “brains” of your battery backup system (for your sump pump) on the floor, Lou Manfredini says. If the power goes off and the sump pit overflows, you will short out the controller on the backup system. Put it on a table or a surface off the ground.
* Don’t expect miracles of your battery backup system for the sump pump (or of those extra batteries you bought) when the rains are “biblical,” Manfredini says. You probably got (or someday will get) some water in the basement — although having the backup system will cut the water intake should you lose power and will allow you to pump out once the rain stops.
When the power goes off and the rains are more normal, a battery backup system can run up to 36 hours because it’s turning on and off, Manfredini says.
But “when you have the amount of water [we did 10 days ago] when the backup system runs constantly, you’re lucky if it goes for five or six hours.” Even with the longer-lasting marine batteries.
Gel batteries (see “Do” section) can last up to a couple of hours longer if the system is running continuously in a big storm.
* Don’t put spoiled food from your refrigerator or freezer outside until garbage pickup day. Once the power goes back on, dump what you can down the garbage disposal. Keep the rest cool in the fridge or freezer until the garbage trucks come to stave off maggots, wildlife and a horrible stench.
* Don’t try to save that carpet pad. Experts agree — that soaked padding has got to go. Both Tom Varchmin of the Cook County Public Health Department and Pete Duncanson, disaster restoration expert at ServiceMaster Clean, say that carpet underlayment holds water like a sponge and won’t dry quickly or thoroughly enough to prevent mold growth.
* Don’t keep anything in your basement that you can’t replace (photos should not be stored in basements or attics; they need to be stored in even temperature, humidity), especially things of sentimental value that will be ruined by water.
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No ark? Listen up
Do
* Buy an inexpensive trickle charger to recharge extra deep cell batteries for your sump pump backup system so they’re available for the next power outage, Manfredini says. It may take 48 hours to bring a battery up to full power.
* Think twice before salvaging upholstered furniture and carpet. “It’s a case-by-case basis,” says Tom Varchmin, director of environmental health for the Cook County Public Health Department, “but the rule of thumb is you have to get rid of it.” Unless you can quickly and completely dry your carpet, you run the risk of mold growth. Professional cleaners are the best bet for salvaging carpet, depending on the kind of water that was in your basement. “Sump pump failure generally falls into the category of black water [water contaminated by sewage],” says Pete Duncanson, disaster restoration expert at ServiceMaster Clean, “which means things need to be discarded.” And thickly padded furniture, Varchmin cautions, cannot be disinfected by spray-on disinfectant. “You’re just cleaning the surface,” he says.
* Get a dehumidifier. To really dry things out in a basement, says Duncanson, the right equipment is key. “Household fans create evaporation, but that moisture has to have somewhere to go,” he explains. “If you’re not careful, you can create a greenhouse in your basement.”
* Keep a battery-operated radio in the house so you can stay connected to storm information and a regular hand-operated can opener, so you can open a can of tuna or soup to heat on your gas stove.
* Let the thermometer be your guide. Wondering whether that refrigerated food is still edible after you’ve been without electricity due to a power outage? Take your fridge’s temperature. “Anything that has reached a temperature above 40 degrees Fahrenheit should be discarded,” says Varchmin of the Cook County Public Health Department, “because at that temperature bacteria starts to grow like crazy.” Easiest way to maintain your fridge’s cool? Keep it closed.
* Treat your fridge like a cooler. Heard on the street during our power outage, and confirmed by Varchmin: You also can maintain that below-40-degree temp by using ice in your fridge. “If you wanted to pack your fridge with ice, sure, that would help,” he says. Our suggestion: Put ice in baking pans and slide them onto top shelves of your fridge.
* Treat your freezer like Greta Garbo. It wants to be (left) alone. “If it’s full,” says Varchmin, “just the fact that you have a lot of frozen food in there can keep the food frozen for up to 24 hours.” Just remember: No matter how much you might want to peek, don’t open it for the first day at least. Our stuff was still frozen solid when we cracked it open at 24-plus hours. We opened it only once, to add a bag of ice.
* No fancy cleaners required. For things you can clean, like your basement floors, walls and hard-surface furniture, no need for special products. Just roll up your shirt sleeves, don that protective gear and wash it down with bleach and water. “Most surfaces can be disinfected if you use about 1/2 cup of bleach with a gallon of water,” says Varchmin. “Clean with soap and water first, then use the bleach solution.”
* Investigate how water is getting in your home before calling for help. “The first thing we’re going to ask you when you call is whether the flooding is due to a crack or a failed sump pump,” Roy Spencer, president of Perma-Seal Basement Systems of Downers Grove, says.
Don’t
* Don’t play around in flood waters. Literally: According to Varchmin of the Cook County Public Health Department, none of us should be touching flood waters without protective gear. “We assume any flood waters are contaminated,” he says. “If you can stay out of the water, stay out of it, but if not, wear waders or rubber boots and gloves.” Sorry, kids — that also means little puddle jumpers should stay out of the big puddles.
* Don’t run extension cords to bring service from one home to another, says John Dewey, senior communications specialist for ComEd/Exelon. “”This is dangerous because vehicles or foot traffic may damage the extension cord,” Dewey wrote in an e-mail. “A frayed extension cord that is energized presents an electric shock hazard to people in the area, especially if it has rained and there is standing water. A frayed extension cord also could become a fire hazard to either of the homes involved.”
* Don’t ignore even the smallest cracks or the slightest sign of water leakage. “Even the slightest pinhole leak could become a gigantic gushing hole in the next storm,” says Spencer of Perma-Seal Basement Systems.
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Sump pumps and batteries
* A battery backup system for the sump pump is not maintenance-free — unless you have one of those pricey gel batteries. Most batteries (even the longer-lasting marine batteries) will need distilled water to be added to the battery cell every six months, says do-it-yourself consultant Manfredini. If the battery has caps on top (meaning: it’s not completely sealed) and if it has acid in it, water needs to be added.
Generators
* You bought a portable, gasoline-powered generator (which will allow you to power your sump pump, refrigerator and a few lights), but will you remember how to operate it the next time you need it? One resident of Mt. Prospect told us she made her husband go over the procedure, step-by-step in a way she could understand in the event he’s not home when a storm strikes. She wrote it down, took digital pictures to guide her and had her cheat sheet laminated, should it be raining when she’s outside trying to get that generator up and running. One final tip: She used a twist-tie to attach her sheet right to the generator, so it’s easy to find.
* A few reminders about safe operation and maintenance of gas-powered generators:
Place them at least 20 feet from the house, with the exhaust pointing away from the house, Manfredini says. Never operate a portable generator from inside a garage or a covered space.
Use thicker extension cords to connect the generator to the items you’re trying to power, such as the refrigerator or sump pump, Manfredini says. Use No. 12 wire extension cords instead of the standard No. 14 cords.
Don’t buy longer extension cords than you really need (meaning: don’t buy all 100-footers just because they’re nice and long), Manfredini says. “If cords are too long or too narrow, you are starving the equipment of energy. It’s like trying to drink a milkshake with a bar straw.” Plan it out. Remember, you need 20 feet from the generator to the house and then figure the footage to the various appliances you want to power.
You need to be home to operate a portable generator; it’s not an automatic thing. You need to set it up and get it going. A 5,000-watt unit ranges in price from about $600 to $1,200, Manfredini says. That size generator will power a couple of sump pumps, a refrigerator and a few lamps.
When not in use, run the gas down to a quarter of a tank, Manfredini says. Add a gas stabilizing additive (STA-BIL is one brand) based on what’s left in the tank. Turn the generator on and let it run for 5 to 10 minutes. And every three months, you need to “exercise that motor” in a similar manner, as the gas can become stale, Manfredini says. That means starting the generator and letting “it get nice and hot. Add some fresh fuel and a little more STA-BIL.” Let it run for about 15 minutes.
* A whole-house automatic backup generator system that’s powered by natural gas, diesel or propane is the most foolproof system for keeping your power and fighting the fury, Manfredini says. When the power goes off, it will kick on automatically and run indefinitely.
Depending on the size of the system you buy, it can cost you upward of $7,000 installed and run as much as $50,000 if you want to power the whole house (computers, electronics and everything else.) A 7,500-watt system (for about $7,000) will be able to power your sump pump, furnace (but not the air conditioner), lights, refrigerator, freezer and high-efficiency water heater, Manfredini says. (A standard water heater uses gas, not electricity.)
Even these automatic systems require maintenance — albeit some of that happens automatically. The system “exercises itself once a week,” Manfredini says, meaning it starts up on its own and runs for about 15 minutes. Beyond that, you have to call in a professional for annual maintenance.
After the storm
* Wax on, wax off … When you had no electricity, it was hard to see runaway wax dripping from the candles casting the charming candlelight that was illuminating your home. But, now, with daylight or regained electricity, there it is: blobs of wax stuck on table runners, desks, and, sigh, carpeting.
On fabric: Carefully scrape off as much wax as you can with a butter knife or a credit card. Then place an opened-up brown paper lunch bag or paper towels on each side of the fabric and run an iron (set on the lowest setting) over the paper; the wax will be absorbed by the paper. If there is wax remaining, use a fabric stain remover, following directions), then launder.
On wood: As with fabric, carefully scrape off as much wax as you can with a butter knife or a credit card. Then use a quality wood cleaner. If a stain remains, you may need to contact a furniture restorer and have the piece refinished.
On carpeting: Carefully scrape off as much wax as you can with your fingernail. Then place an opened-up brown paper lunch bag on top of the waxy spot and run an iron (set on the lowest setting) over the paper.
* To reduce indoor moisture if you don’t have a dehumidifier or you want to supplement one, “Clean it fast, Clean it right: The Ultimate Guide to Making Everything You Own Sparkle & Shine” recommends filling an old pillowcase (while wearing rubber gloves) with pellets of calcium chloride. Calcium chloride is an ice-melting material and available at hardware stores. The calcium chloride will absorb moisture in the air and produce a brine. The book (Rodale Press, 526 pages, $27.95), edited by Jeff Bredenberg, advises hanging the pillow case from a pipe or ceiling fixture and placing a pan or bucket under it to catch the brine. When done, the brine should be poured into the toilet and the pillow case thrown out.
A product called DampRid is a plastic container with a plastic drainer and a bag of calcium chloride. It’s a ready-made, self-contained version of the DIY pillowcase dehumidifer above that catches the brine in its plastic container. It sells for about $7.95 at many hardward stores; calcium chloride refills, $4.79 for 10.5 ounces.
* To get rid of mold or mildew, you can try using a fogger. The Home Depot stores rent (about $25 for 24 hours) and sell ($329) the Concrobium Mold Control Fogger and Concrobium Mold Control ($39.99 for 1 gallon). The non-toxic CMC — “it contains no bleach, ammonia, alcohol, acids or volatile organic compounds,” according to the manufacturer — claims to penetrate surfaces to kill the mold and prevent its return. We are told the fogger and CMC, which hit U.S. stores earlier this summer, are easy to use and cover up to a 20-by-20-foot room in 30 minutes.
How do you know if you’ve got a mold problem? If, as things start to dry out, you smell that musty odor or see stains or spores (loose, flaky dusty black or pink or white stains), says Carolyn Forte, director of home appliances and cleaning products in the Good Housekeeping Research Institute, based in New York. “If anyone in your home is susceptible to allergies,” Forte adds, “I would not take any chances. I would discard anything that seems beyond salvaging and then call in a professional cleaning service.”
* To get rid of musty odors, use a dehumidifier, open windows and air things out, says Forte of the Good Housekeeping Research Institute. She also suggests putting out a little dish of vinegar or using commercial air sanitizers “like Oust, which kills bacteria in the air. Another one called NutraAir from Lysol is widely available. Even Febreze Air Effects can help.”
* Consider installing a high-water alarm. “They’re sort of like a smoke alarm, except they go off when your sump pump has failed. So you’re aware of the problem before you see any water on the floor,” says Spencer of Perma-Seal Basement Systems.
* Extend downspouts at least 8 feet away from your house.
* Make sure all window wells are clean and place covers over them.
In case there’s a ‘next time’
* “A person should really sit down and review their homeowners’ policy,” Janet Patrick, Illinois Insurance Hotline director with the Illinois Insurance Association, says. “Identify what your risks are that you’re concerned with, find out if your policy covers that and discuss it with your agent and find out how to cover those holes.” To have flood insurance coverage, Patrick says a homeowner has to buy a separate flood insurance policy and live in a participating community. If your insurance company doesn’t offer flood insurance, you can purchase it through a national flood insurance program through your agent.
Other insurance protections: Sewer backup endorsements (though this does not cover rainwater) and refrigerated products endorsements (which applies when power goes out).
For more information about flood insurance, visit www.floodsmart.gov . Or call the Illinois Insurance Association’s toll-free consumer number: 800-444-3338.
* Take photos of the damage immediately after it occurs. “It can take two days sometimes for a claims adjustor to show up, and by then you will have had to clean up at least some of the stuff in order to make the place livable,” Eliane Mangoubi of Lincoln Park says.
* Immediately after taking photos, pull up the carpet from one wall and set a fan so that it blows under the carpet. Place several dehumidifiers throughout the affected area. Open windows if outside conditions are dry. Have carpet cleaned. Only through these steps do you have a chance of preventing mold growth.
* If there is a severe storm warning or flood warning, put rolled up towels or sandbags at the base of exterior doors to keep as much outside water from flooding in as possible.