Having your home flooded is a life-changing, scary experience. People’s lives are turned upside-down when there is water where it shouldn’t be in their homes. House flooding can happen due to different circumstances, from faulty appliances to broken water mains, and even too much rain. There are, however, steps that can be taken to prevent your house from flooding.
1. Check For Leaks
Make sure your roof is in good condition. Look for leaks, and fix any you find immediately to prevent water from getting inside your house. Also, examine downspouts to make sure that water is draining away from your house. Another thing you should do is check your water heater. You might not know it, but water heaters can be a cause of flooding. Lift the lid on the water heater and make sure there is no rust or corrosion- if there is, that means you need to replace it. If you’re not really sure whether or not your water heater is leaking, you can click here to learn more about what you can do to make sure everything is in top shape. Not every leak will lead to a flood – sometimes all you need to do is tighten a bolt or two and the problem is solved – but if you don’t take care of leaks, they can cause problems later on.
2. Keep Your Gutters Clear and Clean
Don’t let debris pile up in or around your gutters as it can divert water away from them and onto the side of your home where it should never be. You can also hire a professional to clean your gutters so you don’t have to do it yourself. Keeping gutters clear of debris is an important step because clogged gutters are often the cause of blocked storm drains which results in street flooding. However, if you run into an issue where your gutter just isn’t draining correctly, you might need to add extensions. Extensions can be added in the form of splash blocks, which help water flow down off your roof and into your drains. It’s always best to do these checks before the rain season starts in order to ensure everything is in good working order.
3. Make Sure Your Yard is Drainage Ready
When it comes to home flooding, landscaping plays a huge role. You need your yard and landscaping to be designed in such a way that the excess water from rain and snowmelt can drain away from your house so that it doesn’t gather near the foundation and cause damage. If there are a lot of flat or hard surfaces in your yard, you should do what you can to break them up and add mulch and other landscaping features to help rainwater seep into the ground where it belongs. You can also add a French drain to your landscaping which will allow water to flow away from the foundation. If you don’t mind breaking a sweat, you can even do this as your next DIY project, since there isn’t a lot of technical know-how when it comes to french drains.
4. Piping Inspection
It’s important that the piping in your house is thoroughly inspected to make sure it’s free from cracks and leaks. Leaks near a water supply can also be a cause of flooding, so you should take care of these issues immediately. However, while we already mentioned leaks, you should also see if there’s anything blocking the water in the pipes. If you notice that it takes too long for the water to drain while washing the dishes, or taking a shower, there might be something clogging the pipe, so give that a check as well. An easy way to unclog it yourself would be to pour a generous amount of baking soda and then follow it up with some vinegar. Don’t forget to turn off the water before you do this, though!
5. Know When You Need Professional Help
While you can definitely take care of most things on your own, it doesn’t mean that everything is within your capabilities. This includes any emergencies – if there’s something serious going on with the plumbing in your house, or if the water seems to be entering from an outside source, don’t try to improvise and deal with it by yourself. Call a professional to assess the situation and fix it right away, before it gets even worse. Even if you’re doing some bigger fixes on your own, if you’re not experienced with that kind of handy work, you might want to call a plumber just to check if you did the job correctly. Of course, you don’t need to call someone if you’ve just tightened a bolt that wasn’t fully in, but for bigger projects, an extra set of hands, or just having someone make sure that you did a good job, can be a load off your mind.
If your house is in danger of flooding, there are usually some signs that you should be aware of. Stains on your walls or ceiling which could indicate a leak if left unchecked, water damage to carpets and furniture – these are all things you should keep an eye out for. You can avoid much more serious problems by taking care of smaller things ahead of time, like checking your gutters and yard drainage. It’s also important to keep track of any water issues in your house, like slow draining or clogged pipes, because sometimes they’re the result of something small that can be fixed fast if you know what you’re doing.
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