Your home is supposed to be a place of rest and relaxation. You might share it occasionally with friends, and you might share it most of the time with pets and family. The one thing you don’t want to share it with is water unless that water is coming out of a faucet at times you need it. Knowing tips to keep your home from flooding keeps your residential life damage-free, just the way you want it.
Check Your Plumbing
Mother nature isn’t the only source of home floods. Your pipes and plumbing can also do it when they burst or have issues. Have a reputable plumber inspect all your fittings and fixtures for preventative maintenance. As another measure of safety, you may want to have your crawl space inspected on occasion. This ensures that there aren’t any leaks that may cause settling in your foundation.
Take Care of Your Roof
Some flooding happens because of roof leaks. Get a contractor up there to make sure everything is patched uptight. Also, make sure the gutters are in good condition and clean. Inspect your downspouts and ensure they are long enough to discharge runoff far away from your home’s foundation.
Waterproof the Basement
The basement, or crawl space, of your home, is the most likely place to get flooded. Basement waterproofing as much as you are physically able gives it a line of defense against water and moisture following the call of gravity down. Not just inside but outside also. Make sure to cover your window wells, one good rainstorm could flood an entire room and cause molding and other damage.
Install a Sump Pump
No matter how much you try and keep water out of your basement, it might still wind up in there. Installing a sump pump means your home has a way of getting water out that inevitably gets in. Even if you don’t use it that often, you can enjoy knowing it’s there to manage situations before they turn into flooding.
Grade the Terrain
If possible, grade or slope your terrain away from the foundation. The right landscaping will be able to get water and moisture to move in directions away from your home. Water can, over time, make a foundation crack, sink, or shift, resulting in very expensive repairs. Something like a French drain can also give water a place to go other than under your home.
Using these tips to keep your home from flooding offers you many benefits. Your home life won’t be interrupted by water emergencies, you’ll maintain a higher home value, and you’ll deal with filing homeowner’s insurance claims less frequently. Your home can be a place of peace and quiet when you’re willing to do a little work towards that goal.
