Preventative maintenance is a huge factor in minimizing the risk of water damage to your home. If there is a leak in your basement, most likely your home will at risk for water damage as well as mold growth. When the rainy season comes you’ll want to keep your basement waterproofed so that it doesn’t cost you a fortune in repairs.
Test your sump pump– If you don’t have a sump pump, get one. They are vital to keeping your home healthy and dry. One of the main causes of basement floods is that there is some type of waterproofing failure or they don’t have a way to pump out excess water.
If you have an older pump you’ll want to test it out and make sure it is in good working order before any water makes its way into your home. You can test your pump by (first unplug any electrical cords) pouring 20 gallons of water into the container of the pump and then plug it back in.
Your pump should rapidly pump out the water. If it works like a champ everything is okay, however, if it starts to run slowly or the water is not being removed then you’ll need to replace the pump.
Inspect the discharge pipe on your sump pump– This is an ABS or a PVC pipe that is shaped vertically and attached to the sump pump. It will either discharge water to the sink in the laundry or through the exterior wall to the lawn. Inspect it while the pump is running. You should not see any debris or any leaks. Check the end of the pipe to make sure that it hasn’t been crushed and look for signs of wear and deterioration. If you see anything that doesn’t look right, go ahead and replace the pipe.
Water Damage in your basement–If your basement is prone to flooding and water damage you may want to consider installing a water proofing system. There are various different levels of protection, depending on when the house was built. When older homes were built, there were not many systems in place to deal with any excess water.
However, most new homes were built with an interior drainage system in addition to a “French drain.” If you have a newer home and you are still getting water damage than probably one of these systems isn’t working correctly.
Water damage restoration companies possess superior equipment to protect your home from several types of water damage. It makes sense to invest in a company that has the right equipment to protect your home.
Now is a great time to make sure that your basements and crawl spaces are free from excess moisture and all of your water proofing systems are installed and ready. When you have all of this under control, you will save yourself a lot of headaches for when the spring storms come.
You have already made a big investment in your home; let the burden of waterproofing and water damage restoration be handled by the experts.
