8 Ways to Prevent Water Damage in Your Home
Clean running water is one of the most important systems in our homes. Without water, we can’t survive. We don’t really think about how crucial a working plumbing system is in our home or how crucial it is for the water running through our home to stay where it is intended until our home busts a leak somewhere and damages other fixtures in our homes.
With some proactive work you can do a lot to prevent water damage from occurring in your home. Take a look at the following tips to discover how to prevent water damage mishaps in your home.
Check Your Downspouts
It is very common for water damage to be caused by improper drainage around the outside of your home. For this reason, it is a good idea to test your downspouts periodically. To do this: run water through the downspout by pouring a generous amount into the gutters to make sure they are not clogged up or leaking and resulting in carrying water toward the house instead of away from it. Ideally, the downspout should be redirecting water at least two feet away from the house. If you need to patch up holes, take the downspout off to unclog it, or add more to the end to carry water further away now is the time to do it before damage happens in your home.
This is also a good time to make sure your gutters are in good condition. You can either run water through every inch of your gutters or go out and watch how they are working during the next significant rain.
Cracked and Missing Caulk
Check all of the caulk seems around your home, both inside and outside. This would be around the windows and in the bathroom around the tub, shower, and sink. If there is any cracking it is time to put in some new caulk before the water gets in. Make sure to pay special attention to the outside tops of your windows.
Landscape Grading
The land around your house is supposed to barely incline around the foundation of your home. If the ground is declining in toward the home it needs to be fixed before you end up with leaks in the bottom of your home. The best way to do this is to grade the soil so that it slopes down and away from the home. Related: Drip Irrigation Systems for Pacific Northwest Homes
The Roof
The roof should be weather tight to adequately protect your home from water damage to the structure. Once a year (right now at the end of summer is a good time before harsh weather comes) walk the roof of your home and check it for needed maintenance from cleaning to shingle and hole repair.
Drains
Keep your sink drains in top condition so they do not cause damage to your home. Make sure not to pour grease down the kitchen drain, immediately take care of clogged drains, keep a strainer in place in tub and shower drains to catch hair that will clog the drain, do not clean a hairbrush and deposit hair in the toilet, regularly check all sink traps.
Chimney
This may not seem like something that could end up with water damage, but it can. Once a year inspect the chimney for loose mortar and cracked bricks and look in the attic or crawl space around the chimney for signs of leaking. Also, inspect the chimney cap and flashing near the roof.
Water Pressure
There are now electronic water leak detection systems you can install on the main water supply line to monitor water pressure and usage. This will help to determine if there is a spike in usage which could mean a leak in the home. Some systems are so smart they can even shut off the water main when the pressure changes to prevent major leaks and big damage.
Consider PEX Pipes
An overhaul of your entire plumbing system is expensive and time-consuming. Copper pipes have been the plumbing standard for several years, but they can develop pinhole leaks as they age. Changing your copper pipes for corrosion-free PEX ones will prevent small but mighty water damage. Luckily, this is a job you can do little by little over time, as long as the copper pipes are in great condition.
If you have a water damage emergency in your home please call us 24/7 for water damage restoration in Snohomish County.