Residential homes in the Michiana area experience water damage in many ways. From flooding, plumbing repair, burst water lines or an overflowing toilet, too much water in your home can cause serious damage. We don’t think about the devastating effects of water in our home until it happens. When it does, water can destroy our walls, floors and structure. It can also lead to a hazardous living environment with the growth of mold inside wall cavities.
Living in the snow belt of Lake Michigan, Michiana experiences more rain and snow than most places. This can result in more water damage claims against your homeowners insurance policy. Water damage comes in many forms such as ice dams, ground water intrusion or a backup sewer or septic system. Having the right precautions can save your home from further, costly water damage.
Preparing Your Home to Reduce Water Damage
Your home is important to your survival. It keeps you and your family warm, dry and comfortable throughout the Northern Indiana seasons. Taking precautionary steps can lead to a safer habitat and possibility of less water damage to your home. The following are a few areas to check to reduce the chance of water damage.
- Make sure your gutters are unclogged and work properly. During heavy, extended rain, clogged gutters can overflow causing a massive amount of rain water to accumulate next to your foundation walls. This can lead to water intrusion int your basement or crawlspace. Make sure your gutters and downspouts are clear of dirt and debris to reduce the possibility of water intrusion.
- Make sure your downspouts are draining at a safe distance from your foundation walls. Many times downspouts can lead to flood water entering the home or basement. Make sure your downspouts are are draining at safe distance from your home.
- Check the grade of your land for proper drainage. Improper grading of a concrete driveway or yard lead to water damage as it delivers too much water against the foundation walls.
- Check your internal plumbing lines, drains and faucets for leaks. This includes the areas beneath the fixtures to ensure there is no history of leaks such as rotten or stained wood. If a leak is noticed, call a licensed plumber to repair the faulty item.
- Know where your water turn off valve is located in your home or basement. This valve, whether plastic or brass, is crucial in the event a plumbing line or water pipe bursts. Shutting off the water supply to the house can severely limit water damage.
- During a heavy rain, inspect your attic for water intrusion coming from the roof. Many times roof leaks are so minor they go unnoticed for years, which can lead to mold growth on porous building materials within the home.
- Check plumbing fixtures such as toilet tanks, seals and under plumbing lines to ensure sewer water is not leaking from them. Pay particular attention to connection areas of different color pipes. An example of this is finding black ABS sewer pipe connected to white PVC piping. These two pipes are known to leak when placed together as the cement is compatible with each other.
- Keep HVAC condensation lines and drains free flowing. Also check that the float switch within the drain pan is operational. HVAC units in attics usually contain a float switch that shuts the unit down if the HVAC drain pan fills with water from condensation. Check that the drain in clear and the float switch works properly.
- Removing snow accumulation on your roof greatly reduces ice damning. Ice damning occurs when escaping heat from your living area warms the attic, which melts the snow above. As the water travels over the evaestroph, an area without heat below it, it freezes again creating a damning effect. This ice damn creates a pool of sort that travels up under the shingles and into your home. Clearing snow from your roof greatly reduced ice damning.
- Ensure your attic is property insulated and vented.
There are many ways water damage can occur in your home. The list given above does not cover all water damage possibilities but is a good start to put your house on a dry foundation.
What to do With Water Damage in Your Home
Water damage causes many problems within a home, but if not dealt with properly, structural problems and mold could result. The following steps may be taken to ensure you and your family are safe during water damage event.
- Make sure standing water is not in contact with electricity. Electricity can travel through water leading to shock and possibly death. It is a good idea to not use electricity in and around water damaged areas.
- Stop the leak! If water is coming from broken water lines turn the main water supply valve off. If that does not work, immediately contact your water supplier, if applicable, to have them shut off the water main to your property.
- Immediately call a Water Damage Restoration company to start the water removal process. Allowing your interior to contain high amounts of humidity for a length of time can cause secondary damage to your home. It is best to start the water removal process as soon as possible to limit further damage.
- While waiting for an emergency response team, beware of sagging drywall that might fall while under pressure from standing water.
- If the water damaged area is accessible and it does not contain sewage or other potentially hazardous material, move small items to higher ground. You may place pictures frames and other small items on larger pieces of furniture as our dehumidifiers will dry them within the room.
- Depending on the weather outside, it may be a good idea to open windows to allow humidity to escape. An UrgentDry technician can advise you by phone if it is a good idea to open windows given the current forecast.
UrgentDry Water Damage Restoration starts the drying process quickly after arriving to your home. It is important to let your technicians know of any impending danger before they enter the home.
Call UrgentDry NOW if You Are Experiencing Water Damage in Northern Indiana! 574-999-0484 or 219-654-2299