As a homeowner, you need to do a lot of maintenance to keep your house in a good condition over the years. With gas, electric, water, and HVAC systems running throughout your home, it is important to do a lot to prevent damage to the structure.
However, water damage is still incredibly common and it can even lead to flooding in your house. Water damage is one of the worst things for your home, and even worse if it’s in the foundation. The water damage restoration won’t only be expensive, but may make your home inhabitable for some time.
That’s why it is important to prevent water damage and flooding. To help you do that, here are some prevention tips.
Repair Leaks on Time
Among the biggest causes of water damage are leaks around your home.
Water leaks can happen anywhere in your house. If there is water gathering at some place, you can expect there to be a leakage underneath it. For instance, if the water starts collecting on your roof after rain and it doesn’t go down the drain, then your roof might get water damage.
If you see any leaks on the ceilings, basements, pipes, or anywhere else, repair them on time. If you live in a shared space like an apartment, this means getting in touch with the strata company to make them aware of these leaks.
Check the Gutters
If your house doesn’t have proper gutters, then the water won’t be able to clear up from your roof. That can cause water damage to the roof and cause leaks.
If the water is getting down the gutter but only slowly because of damage or clogs, then there can be water damage to the walls.
If the water is getting down properly but there is no drain at the end of the gutters or the land is sloping towards your house, then the water can get into the foundation and also cause damage to the basement.
That’s why it is very important to keep checking the gutters and making sure there is a proper flow of water from the roof to the drain.
Inspect the Foundation
The foundation of your house can be damaged for reasons other than water. Sometimes natural disasters, unstable construction, or just the passing of time can cause cracks in the foundation of your house.
That’s why you should inspect your foundation at least once a year to make sure there aren’t any cracks that can let water inside.
Every time you’re down there, you might see minor cracks. That’s entirely normal. But, you should use concrete patching paste to patch up the cracks or call in a professional to prevent further damage.
Check Greenery around Your House
Having plenty of trees and plants around your house can be amazing for the value of the property, your health, and the overall aesthetics of your home. However, having trees too close to your house might become problematic.
That’s why you should check the greenery around your house. You can look up the trees you have on the internet to find out how far their roots can extend or simply dig up some ground around your home to check for roots.
If roots are knocking at your foundation, you can surely expect them to damage the foundation and cause flooding.
Keep Everything Higher
Finally, you can take precautionary measures if your home is susceptible to flooding to make sure you don’t end up losing anything valuable. For instance, you can keep your water heater on an elevated surface rather than needing to call water heater repair services after flooding.