How To Protect Your Home From Water Damage

12/9/2016 (Permalink)

Water Damage Restoration; Franklin County, MO

Water damage is one of the most common and costly disasters affecting residences, accounting for billions of dollars in losses annually. Individuals protect themselves from repairs by having insurance. However, do you have the right type of insurance to protect your property?

Generally speaking, standard homeowners and renters insurance cover water that comes from the top down. For example, burst pipes, wind driven rain and damage from ice dams. Some polices cover sewer and drain back up, but many do not. You can sometimes add this coverage to your insurance plan for an additional fee.

Water intrusion from a river or creek is covered by flood insurance. Flood insurance can be purchased from the federal governments National Flood Insurance Program and from some private insurers. The average flood insurance policy costs $540 a year.

Maintaining a home is one of the best ways to prevent damage.

Inside Your Home

Inspect hoses and faucets. Check hoses leading to water heaters, dishwashers, washing machines and refrigerator icemakers annually. Replace those with cracks or leaks, and replace them all every five to seven years.

Inspect showers and tubs. Check the seal and caulking around showers and tubs to make sure they are watertight.

Shut off the water supply to the washing machine while away on vacation, and never leave the house while the washer or dishwasher is running.

Know the location of the main water shut off valve in your home. A damaged hose or a burst pipe can send water racing into your home. By knowing where this valve is located and how to shut off the main water supply, you can save yourself time and money.

Install an emergency pressure release valve in your plumbing system. This will protect against the increased pressure caused by freezing pipes and can help prevent your pipes from bursting.

Check pipes. Look closely for cracks and leaks and have the pipes repaired immediately.

Outside Your Home

Caulk and seal windows. Preventive maintenance will guard against water seepage.

Inspect your roof. Look for missing, damaged, and aging shingles. 

Check your downspouts. Remove debris that may have accumulated in downspouts and rain gutters. Position downspouts so that they direct water away from the house.

Check sprinklers and irrigations systems. Be sure sprinklers and irrigation systems are not damaging the walls and foundations of the house; turn off and drain outside faucets to protect against frozen pipes.

Install gutter guards. Gutter guards are the device used to protect the clogging of the roof gutter so that the water from the roof may flow easily and accumulation of water does not take place on the roof but away from the house.

If you do have a water loss, we are water damage restoration specialists and are ready to restore your Franklin County, MO home back to pre-water damage condition. We quickly extract the water and then dry your property using state-of-the-art equipment. SERVPRO of Franklin County uses moisture monitoring equipment to effectively measure and document the drying process to ensure your property is dry.