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How to Prevent Water Damage

Written by Posted On Monday, 25 February 2019 17:56

One of the worst possible disasters that could hit your home is water damage. Whether it’s because of a flood, a plumbing leak, or an overflowing drainage or toilet, water damage is something all homeowners would want to avoid because of the extreme consequences that come with it.

For one, water damage does a number on your home’s foundation and could potentially weaken it. There’s also the fact that water damage is often very attractive to termites and other pests, which assault the integrity of your entire property. Then there’s mold, which thrives in the moist environment that water damage creates and cause certain risks to your family’s health.

It’s a good thing that for all the harm it can cause, water damage is a preventable disaster. Here are some strategies that you can implement to prevent water damage from ever interrupting your life.

Spot and take care of plumbing leaks.

Leaking pipes are a common cause of water damage inside a home. The water could be coming from broken or cracked pipes inside the walls or in the case of multi-story homes, on the ceilings directly underneath the upper story’s plumbing.

To know if you have a plumbing leak, always monitor your utility bill, and if you see a drastic usage jump even when the number of occupants in your home remains the same, then you have a huge hint right there that you have a plumbing leak.

Monitor your water bill for any drastic usage jumps, which usually means you have a water leak somewhere. You should also check for dark spots under the pipes inside sink cabinets and water stains on the ceiling. Moist floors, stinky smells, and a pest problem may also indicate a broken sewer line. If you detect any of these signs, address the issue immediately.

Clear drains.

Keep your drains clear by not pouring used oil and anything greasy down them. When you dump grease down the drain, you will be wreaking havoc not only on your own drainage system but the whole sewer of your entire town as well.

When fatty acids bond with the calcium that is abundant in sewer water, it forms what is known as a “fatberg,” which grows over time and will eventually cause sewer water to flow back up into the drains of everyone in the neighborhood.

For your shower drains, install filters that will block hair and other unwanted debris.

Clear your gutters of leaves and debris regularly as well to prevent them from clogging and causing rainwater to overflow. Your downspouts should also be directed 5 to 10 feet away from the house.

And if you’re in the habit of flushing cigarette butts, baby wipes, diapers, menstrual products, hair, dental floss, gum, and kitty litter down the toilet, stop it unless you want it to get clogged and overflow one day.

If there’s a storm drain across the street or near your home, then it would help if you make sure no leaves, branches, or any kind of debris are blocking it.

Test your sump pump regularly.

That sump pump in your basement or crawl space is crucial to flood prevention, as it’s responsible for collecting and removing groundwater. Testing its performance on a regular basis ensures that it will perform its job when the water level starts to rise.

To test your sump pump, pour a bucket of water around it. If it’s working fine, then it should activate once the water hits a predetermined level. To ensure that it will keep on working smoothly, a sump pump has to be maintained once a year.

These are just some of the things you can do to prevent water damage. Follow these tips so you won’t have to go through the hassles, costs, and stress that water damage brings.

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Judy Olsen

https://asaprestoration.net/

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