How Can I Protect My Home from Water Damage?

It’s a great question, and one that I don’t hear from homeowners enough. I know for me personally, since my husband and I purchased our home a little over a year ago, the last thing I have thought about is the potential of our home getting water damage. When the kids splash water out of the tub, or the dogs come inside all wet, shake off and soak the walls, I think to myself, “oh it’s probably fine”, clean up the water and continue with my day. My husband on the other hand, he always makes it a huge deal. I never understood until recently just how serious water damage can be.

You might be thinking, “What’s the big deal? It’s just some water, we will just clean it up as we notice it.” Trust me, I get it. But excess moisture in your home doesn’t only lead to warping of floors and some paint chipping off the walls but can lead to the growth of mildew and black mold in your home which not only weakens the integrity and stability of your home but can become detrimental to the health of you and your family. To maintain a safe and healthy home, it’s important to take care of water damage as soon as you can. Which can include (but is not limited to) preventative measures for excess water.

 

Where do I start?

The best place to start with your preventative measures is knowing some of the most common causes of leaks within your home that can lead to serious water damage. Here are the most common causes and how you can help prevent the issues these can bring:

1.       Dishwashers – I don’t know about you, but I have had way too many dishwashers that would rather clean my floor than my dishes. Regular cleaning and maintenance of your dishwasher should help prevent leaks, but it’s still a good idea to keep an eye on your dishwasher while it is running that way if it does start to fail, you can stop it before it gets too bad.

2.       Water heaters – I never thought twice about water heaters until I became a homeowner. It’s important to regularly maintain and service your water heater that way it doesn’t become a huge problem.

3.       Sinks, toilets, showers & tubs – These are all well known for becoming clogged and overflowing, so proper cleaning and maintenance of all sinks and toilets within your home is crucial. Once a month, use an enzyme drain cleaner (Like Green Gobbler or Zep products) to help breakdown any build up found in your pipes. Also make sure to frequently check the caulking around your sinks, toilets, showers, and tubs and replace it if you see any cracking, peeling or mold.

4.       Washing Machines – Experts recommend frequently checking the hoses that connect your washing machine to the water and making sure there are no cracks or leaks and replacing the hoses every 5-7 years. Regular maintenance and cleaning of your washing machine can also help reduce the likelihood of your washing machine failing and flooding your laundry room.

It’s also important to know where the water main for your house is, and how to shut it off in an emergency. If a pipe suddenly bursts, you will want to shut off the water supply immediately because, in most cases, that will stop the water flow entirely.

 

What Should I Look Out For?

It can be easy to overlook water damage if you don’t know what to look for. There are a couple of different things you can look for frequently to tell if your home is getting water damage.

o   Flaking paint or peeling wallpaper can indicate damp walls.

o   Black, speckled marks on skirting or sills is most likely mold caused by moisture.

o   Walls feel very cold to the touch, or your house smells musty.

o   Windows or skylights have condensation in the mornings, indicating that your home has higher than normal moisture levels.

If water damage in your home is a concern, there are so many different possible fixes out there that it may seem daunting trying to figure out what to do. Even if water damage has never crossed your mind until this blog post, it can be confusing trying to figure out what can help prevent water damage. If you just want to know when a possible leak might happen, you could do something as simple as purchasing water leak alarms which are sensors that can trigger when sensing water. So, you could place it strategically by/around common causes of leaks in the home. This won’t prevent water from leaking, but you will know when the leak happens. Some more permanent solutions would be installing a sump pump (if you don’t have one already) or some of our waterproofing products.

 

What is a Sump Pump and Why Do I Need One?

A Sump pump is a device that moves water from your basement or crawlspace to the outside of your home. It collects water that accumulates from a direct flow of snowfall, rain, or normal everyday seepage. A sump pump can be the difference between a dry basement and expensive water damage. We have 3 different types of sump pumps that we offer and install in our customers homes, and we even have a battery backup system for those pesky power outages! If you want to find out more about our sump pumps, click here.

 

What Are Some Other Products You Offer or Recommend?

We do offer and install different types of French drain systems that are proven not only to keep water out of your home, but also doesn’t clog like traditional French drains. We take it to the next level with a wall flange that allows seepage to enter the drain and funnel it away from your foundation. We have a couple of different types of flanges, so we can meet your specific home’s needs. Click here for more information on our drainage systems.

We also have wall panels we can install for you to help make your finished or unfinished basement look as great as possible! These panels stop water vapor from coming through the walls and are mold and mildew resistant. If you want more information on the different panels we offer, click here.

We don’t just finish your walls, but we can finish your floors as well! We offer different flooring options that are specifically created for concrete basement floors. Our flooring options never rot, decay, or support the growth of mold. They’re easily interlocked and don’t need grout or adhesives. If you want to find out more about long-term floor protection for your basement, click here.

Last but certainly not least, we have basement dehumidifiers that can help long term. Our SaniDry dehumidifier and air systems are powerful, energy efficient and prevent dampness and that horrible musty smell that comes with mold. They partner with our sump pumps wonderfully and will send that unwanted moisture to the sump pump which then kicks it right out of your home. If you want more information about our SaniDry dehumidifier or how it works, click here.

I hope that this was helpful for all homeowners looking to help their home! We are here for your home needs, because all homes deserve real support.