Preventing Water Damage

Residents in Davenport, Iowa are no strangers to freezing temperatures and snowfall in December. These winter months can wreak havoc on our homes, especially when the snow starts to melt. The melting snow can find its way into your attic via ice dams or into your basement through a cracked foundation, damaged water lines, or window wells that aren’t adequately sealed.

At Challis Restoration, our team of water damage repair professionals wanted to provide you with a “Keep your basement drying during the winter tip sheet.”

Keep the snow away from your foundation

Shoveling snow away from the foundation of your home is a simple way to prevent water damage in your basement. When the snow melts, it melts faster than the frozen ground beneath it can thaw. Because the soils cannot absorb the water, it runs along the surface of your home and finds its way into every crack and crevice. If that moisture re-freeze, it can expand by 9% causing those cracks and crevices to become larger. Who would have thought that snow could cause so much damage to our homes?

Keep your pipes from freezing

As the temperatures drop, the pipes and plumbing of your home are at greater risk of freezing. When your pipes freeze, they can crack and release over 200 gallons of water per day. A great way to prevent your pipes from freezing is to wrap them in heat tape, check the insulation in your home, and make sure to turn off and blow out any outdoor pipes, such as sprinkler lines and outdoor faucets.

Clean the Gutters and Downspouts

Check your gutters and downspouts for any debris, clogging, or damage. uttered gutters can cause an overflow of water to find cracks and holes in your roofing.  Make sure your downspouts are angled away from the foundation of your home so that any water runoff doesn’t find its way into your basement.

Prevent Ice Dams

What exactly are ice dams? If you live in Davenport, Iowa you have probably seen an ice dam. Ice dams are the “festive” icicles you see forming along the eaves of you or your neighbor’s roof. Ice dams form when it snows, that snow melts, and the cold refreezes the melted snow into a solid block of ice. Ice dams can wreak havoc on your roofing and can eventually leak into our attic or ceiling via the roof or roof trim.

Preventing ice dams from forming in the winder is simple, in principle: all you need to do is keep your entire roof the same temperatures as the eaves. How do you accomplish this? By increasing the ventilation, sealing off any air leaks, and adding insulation. 

Unfortunately, not all winter water damage disaster can be prevented. At Challis Restoration, we recommend that you add a trusted restoration company to your list of emergency contacts. The sooner you are able to contact certified professionals to clean up the water, the lower the risk of property loss, and mold growth.