Many homeowners experience water damage in their homes at some point. While it can be a stressful and costly experience, there are things that you can do to prevent water damage before it happens.
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Where Does Water Damage Occur?
Water damage can occur anywhere in your home. It’s essential to understand the common places where it occurs so that you can take preventative measures.
1. Bathrooms
The bathroom is one of the most common places where water damage occurs, especially during bath time. Bathroom faucets are more likely to drip than faucets elsewhere, but they’re easy to fix since they have washers inside them that wear out over time.
It would be best if you replaced these washers whenever necessary. If you have an older house with inefficient or problematic fixtures, this may be a more frequent occurrence, depending on the age of your fixtures and pipes.
Mold is also a problem for bathrooms due to damp humidity levels. As mentioned previously, mold can become a problem when faucets are not properly maintained or if there is a leak in the pipes.
2. Kitchen
Another common place where water damage occurs is the kitchen sink. An old house may consist of galvanized metal piping that erodes over time if you have an old house.
Since these pipes were typically used before 1940, these older homes may experience leaks due to corroded plumbing.
You can prevent this by periodically checking your home for signs of leakage and asking an expert plumbing company to inspect your plumbing if necessary.
3. Living Areas
If you have carpeting in your living space, it may be at risk for water damage from spills or leaks elsewhere in your house.
For example, leaking washing machines are the most common cause of water damage to carpets.
If you have flooring other than carpeting, it is still possible for water to seep in because even concrete can become saturated. This means that your home should be free of cracks and leaks in the foundation. If it’s not, water may seep into the walls or under floors due to heavy rain or snowfall outside.
4. Basements
It’s essential to check your basement regularly for water invasions because this area tends to be damp and humid. This can lead to mold growth because moisture causes spores to spread when left untreated.
Basement flooding happens when the drainage system becomes clogged or when there is a crack in the foundation or severe weather conditions like heavy rains and snowmelt caused groundwater levels to rise.
Basements can also get wet from external sources such as overflowing gutters and downspouts or when the roof leaks due to faulty flashing around chimneys and skylights.
How Can You Prevent Water Damage?
Although water damage is often unavoidable in some cases, such as natural disasters, it’s important to take precautions so that your home stays safe and dry. Here are some suggestions:
Fix Leaky Faucets
The most common source of water damage comes from leaky faucets. Not only will this keep your floors dry and safe, but it will also save you money because you won’t be using as much water daily.
Fix Leaking Pipes
If your pipes are leaking, you’ll need to replace them depending on their age and condition. If there is galvanized metal piping that is rusted, you may need to consult a plumber for more extensive repairs to prevent future problems.
Flood-Proof Your Basement by Building Up Dikes
A dike is an embankment used to prevent water from flowing onto low-lying areas or towards obstacles such as roads or railways by raising the area’s height where water would flow if no dikes were in place.
Safely Store Water
As mentioned previously, flood-proofing your basement does not guarantee that it won’t flood if there is excessive rainfall outside or snowmelt.
For this reason, it’s recommended that you store a certain amount of water in your house and basement during the winter months (and any other time when heavy rainfall is expected).
Keep Basements Free of Clutter
You should also avoid storing items that can easily become damaged or ruined by moisture in your basements, such as boxes filled with paper products and cardboard.
If possible, keep all chemicals and flammable items like paint, gasoline, and propane tanks in an upper-floor room with good ventilation.
Weatherproof Your Windows
Finally, even if your windows are not flooding, you can still be at risk for water damage if rain gets through the windows.
To prevent this from happening, purchase window film to keep the rain out of your home when it’s windy outside so that no water enters through the windows during storms or in high winds.
The best way to avoid water damage is by preventing it before it happens. By taking some simple steps to eliminate any potential problems, including leaky faucets, cracked foundations, and flooded basements, you can protect your home and property from water damage.