Water damage is one of the most common damages that your house will encounter during its lifespan. Apart from the water damages caused by natural calamities, your plumbing system could run its course and lead to irrecoverable water damages, wrecking your house’s foundation, as well as tampering your ceilings and walls. These damages, though very common, can cost you a fortune if you are not cautious.
As the old saying goes, it is always better to prevent something than cure it. Without proper maintenance and care, the systems that keep your life running in your house will come to a standstill. You do not want to wait till physical evidence such as cracks on the walls or leakages start surfacing to run for remedies. With a little effort, you can stay away from the eleventh-hour troubles of dealing with water damages.
Here are 6 important tips that will help you understand how to prevent water damages.
- Keep your gutters clean and healthy
Gutters can get clogged with leaves, branches or nests of birds, sending the water over the roof during the rainy season. Backing up of water can lead to roof leakages due to the rotting of the roof. The water can stagnate and overflow causing damage to your roof and siding then harm the health of your house by getting to the basement or seeping into your foundation. The latter is enough to cause your house to shift under its own weight. It can also lead to damage to your siding and landscape
A lack of immediate attention will eventually require you to replace the entire roof. Overflow of water can sometimes damage the gutter itself, causing it to detach from the house and fall. Regularly cleaning up and inspecting the health of your gutters can easily help you prevent water damages in your house to a great extent.
- Keep an eye on your sprinklers
Your sprinklers and other irrigation systems are outside your house and might not always catch your attention even if they are broken and are pooling up water in the yard. If they are placed too close to your house, the walls might be exposed constantly to streams of water. This is called the overspray. Your walls are permeable; water can pass through the insulations on your wall. If water invades your wall, soon you will see molds inside your house, which is definitely a threat to your family’s health. Keep your sprinklers far enough from the walls, so that they are not exposed to water or moisture
- Inspect your appliances regularly
Though washing machines, dishwashers, refrigerators, and other appliances have made our lives easier, they are complicit in causing water damages. Your lack of attention to the details of these machines could lead to severe damages to your house. Regularly inspect your home appliances for corrosion, leakage or any other forms of wear and tear, which will help you prevent water damages. It is crucial to check the waterline hose of your fridge and the hose of your washing machine to avoid leakages. Also, get your water heaters serviced every year to avoid slow leakages and pooling of water.
- Landscape carefully
Some plants and trees can be very invasive and thus disrupt your entire drainage system, taking over your plumbing system with their roots. Devise a meticulous plan before you landscape your house or contact a landscaping consultant to protect your house from these invasive beings. Refrain from growing plants or trees near pipes; remove shrubs or other vegetation from around your pipes if they are threatful to your plumbing system. Also, slope your yard in the right direction so that water does not pool or flow towards your house.
- Seal your doors and windows properly
Poorly installed windows and doors invite unwanted moisture and water inside your house. They can damage the window frames and the walls around it. You can eliminate this by caulking your windows on both sides to seal them properly. Doors can also be sealed in the same fashion. Additionally, you can use weatherstripping to seal doors that won’t close properly. If you happen to be living in an area that receives heavy rainfall or is frequently attacked by storms, the wiser option would be to install storm windows that provide an extra layer of protection.
- Shut off water supply when not required
Leaving your house for a month or two for vacation is okay as long as you have someone else for you to check if there are any leakages. By the time you get back from your holidays, you definitely do not want a pool inside your house. Nor do you want your house to turn into a habitat for mold. If hiring someone to do the job is not an option for you, then the ideal thing to do is switch off your water supply so that you don’t have any surprises when you get back.
Water damage is not a pleasant experience for the homeowner. Nor is it a pleasant sight to see water dripping from the roof or sprinklers pooling up water in the backyard. Water is an exhaustible resource that gets depleted every day due to human activities. With due attention to your home appliances and plumbing system, every homeowner can also contribute to water conservation. If your house is gradually succumbing to water damages, do not wait around till things get out of your hands. Get water damage restoration services from experts who will get your house rebuilt and restore peace in your life.
