How to Prevent Potential Water Damage Disasters

After discovering water damage in your home, after the initial shock, you may stop to ask yourself how this happened and how you can prevent this from happening again. The good news is that you can prevent water damage disasters from occurring by performing some property maintenance. Some of these preventative measures may seem tedious, but trust the water damage cleanup professionals at Challis Restoration, preventing water damage is a lot easier than dealing with the stress and repairs afterward.

Clean and maintain gutters. Ensure good drainage.

In the spring and fall, you should plan on taking a trip to the roof, it’s on your to-do list so let’s get it done. Be sure there are no leaves, branches or other debris blocking rain flow in gutters. Inspect the roof and clean off any debris that may cause blockage during a storm. Make sure that your downspouts are positioned 12 to 18 inches from your foundation to prevent water from settling next to the foundation and finding it way inside. Keep your gutters free of debris. A plugged gutter can send water running down the side of your home causing severe damage to your siding and foundation.

If you have one, maintain your sump pump.

Annual maintenance of your sump pump is critical, sump pumps come to life during a storm. Check your sump once a year and several times during heavy storm seasons. The time to take care of a problem is before there the water threatens your basement.

Planting and yard maintenance.

When planting trees and shrubs in your yard be sure you know where your water lines are. Some trees have very invasive root systems and will puncture holes in your water lines. If you plan on doing any landscaping slope your yard downhill away from your home. The sloping yard will cause any excess water to flow away from the foundation of your home.

Plumbing: Use a Drain Snake instead of chemicals.

No matter how clean your sinks and drain areas are, clogs can happen from time to time. Grease, hair, leftover food, or dirt and grime can cause major trouble. Avoid using chemical drain cleaners when your drains become clogged. These chemicals can cause your pipes to corrode and break down over time. This increases the risks of water leaks and costly water damage repairs. Instead of using chemicals, invest in a drain snake. A drain snake can cut through most clogs safely and without that obnoxious cleaning odor caused by caustic chemicals.

Keep your eye on your water bill.

Keeping an eye on your water bill is a great way to monitor your water lines for any issues. Sometimes a leak may not be easily spotted but if your water bills start to increase for no apparent reasons it is a pretty good indication that there is an issue.

Appliance maintenance.

Make a point to check on any of your appliances that use a water line. Over time these lines can become loose or damage causing small and sometimes undetectable water leaks.