Protect your Home against Flooding
Flooding is the most common natural disaster worldwide. Protecting your home against flooding and flood damage is very important. Flood damage can get very expensive but the prevention of flooding is far less expensive. Ask yourself this, would you rather help prevent flooding or deal with the consequences later? There are many different things in your home that you should check to prevent flooding, whether from the weather or from pipes located in or around your home.
Leaking pipes in your home is an easy flooding disaster. You should check under sinks, this includes every sink not just the kitchen, to make sure that there are not any slow drips; if there are it could cause flooding. Any slow drips could result in a burst at any time. These small drips should be fixed. Also, your washer machine hose is something that should be changed every three to five years. A bulge or fray in the hose could also cause a flooding problem. A great way to check if you have any leaking pipes anywhere around your home is to check your water meter and not use any water for an hour, go back and check the meter if the meter reader has changed a leaking pipe maybe be the culprit. You should also know where the water shut-off valve is and make sure it is operational.
Even with all the water sources in your home to check you should also be aware of the water that comes from the sky. Outside your home, you should check roofs and gutters. Leaking roofs can cause significant damage to the inside of your home and should be fixed immediately. If you do not fix the leaks it could cause mold to grow in your home. When inspecting your roof you should check the shingles for cracks or even broken ones. If you get a new roof put on your home, you should ask for extra protection, you can get a rubber underlay as a waterproof barrier to protect your home from intruding water. You can also keep tree branches cut back from excessively rubbing the shingles. If you don’t already have gutters in your home it would be a good idea to install them. They will carry water away from your house so it does not sit. If you have gutters, you should ensure they are free of debris. The debris can build up causing damage.
Although there are many different ways to prevent flooding or flood damage there are few to take into consideration. Just remember that flooding can be caused by more than just rain, but leaky pipes as well.
We at GCE serve the Ft. Myers and Naples area, contact us today!