Tips to protect your home from water damage

Water damage can creep up without you even noticing. After all, it only takes one leaky pipe and all of your belongings can get ruined. Water damage happens to be one of the most common issues homeowners are faced with. Luckily, with a few simple steps, disaster can be avoided. Even after you mop up excess water caused by a leak, you run into the risk of suffering from damaged floors, carpets with mildew smell, or even mold growth.

To keep your home fully dry this spring, you will want to implement the tips discussed below.

1. Protect Your Valuables

Anything that you cannot afford to lose should be protected. This includes irreplaceable documents, photographs, and all sorts of valuables. All of these things should be secured in waterproof containers or bags. Ideally, you ought to move these items out of the basement where you are much more susceptible to dealing with water damage. Along with this, you should look to reduce the risk of suffering from electrical shock by picking up any excess electrical cords or extension cords that you have running along the ground. Also, it would help if you disconnected any appliances you might have and either leave them disconnected or move them to a higher floor in your home.

2. Look Up

You will want to check your ceiling, skylights, windows, and air vents to check for potential leaks. This will allow you to notice them prior to the leak becoming a major problem.

3. Check On Drains and Sump Pumps

It would be best if you looked to keep all floor drains completely clear and removes any materials that could cause them not to function properly. If your home has a sump pump, you will want to inspect it to ensure that it is in working order. You can check to ensure that the pump’s discharge pipe is aimed away from the home, which will keep water draining in the right direction.

4. Install Window Well Covers

In order to keep debris out of your window wells and to minimize the occurrence of water pooling, you should install window well covers.

5. Inspect Your Roof

You will want to regularly inspect your roof to ensure that it is not wearing down. Your roof is going to keep your home fully protected when it is in good condition. Replace any worn down shingles or even missing shingles to ensure that you don’t deal with leakage. Call on a professional roofer in order to check up on the condition of your roof and to perform yearly roof maintenance.

6. Check Your Caulk and Grout

You will want to check your bathroom walls in order to ensure that you are not dealing with missing or insufficient caulk or grout. Each of these things can end up causing water to leak through. If you do have worn down or loose pieces of either, you should replace it immediately. Water can end up leaking behind the tiles and further leak down to floors below. Likewise, it can cause mold growth behind your walls.

7. Remove Excess Ice or Snow

Prior to letting nature handle it for you, you will want to remove as much excess snow and ice as possible. That way, you can avoid having excess moisture present, which can cause leaks.

8. Regularly Check Appliances

You should look to check for leaky hoses on your dishwasher and washing machine. Likewise, you want to check your refrigerator’s hose to ensure that it is functioning properly.

9. Turn Off Your Water While Away

If you are going to be heading out on vacation, always turn the main valve off in your home. That way, you will be able to avoid coming home to a disaster.

10. Release Pressure

Ideally, you want to have an emergency pressure release valve installed in your plumbing system. That way, you can protect against increased pressure that can result from pipes getting frozen.

11. Check Attic

You will want to look to install and maintain adequate insulation within your attic to avoid ice dams.

12. Water Heater Maintenance

A lot of water heaters can hold a lot of water. Therefore, if they begin leaking, they can completely flood an entire floor or home. You want to regularly drain your water heater every six months in order to prevent rust from accumulating. While draining, it is a good time to check for potential leaks in the pipes.