If you live in an area where heavy rains and flooding are common, it is important that you take certain steps to protect your home. While flooding has the potential to cause costly damage throughout your home, taking proactive measures can help to minimize damage to your home during heavy rains. Here are just a few of the steps you can take to protect your home from flood damage in the future.
Check Your Property’s Slope
One of the most important things that you can do to protect your home from flooding is to make sure that the ground slopes properly around your home’s foundation. The ground around your home should have a significant slope away from your foundation/basement so that water flows away from your home even during heavy storms. If you notice that water seems to stand on your yard, or worse, comes toward your home, when it rains, then it is likely that your property needs to be graded properly. You should also make sure that your home’s gutters direct water a significant distance from your home’s foundation to prevent water from infiltrating your basement.
Test Your Sump Pump Regularly
If your home is prone to flooding, your sump pump will be your home’s first line of defense. However, you do not want to find that your sump pump is not working when you need it most. This makes it important that you test your sump pump at least once a year during the rainy season to ensure that it is working properly. Investing in maintaining your sump pump can save you greatly down-the-road.
Consider Investing in Water Alarms to Protect Your Home
Another option for defending your home against damage from floods and water leaks is to install water detection devices in your home. These are small electronic devices that can alert you when its sensors detect water. By placing these alarms in key areas throughout your home, you will know right away if your sump pump fails, or if a pipe or appliance starts leaking. This can allow you to address the problem and minimize water damage to your home.
Taking certain precautions can help you to protect your home from a flood. However, if your home should flood, it is critical that you take the proper steps to stem the effects of water damage. Contact us to learn how professional water restoration can help get you back on your feet after a flood.
