Preventing Water Damage This Winter

There is nothing worse than a flooded home during the wintertime. It can be a real nightmare. It causes you a great deal of inconvenience and a great deal of money. If you want to prevent your home from being damaged by water there are some home improvements that can be completed to ensure home safety.

To prevent your home from being flooded you need to prevent all of the sources of possible flooding. One of the most common sources of water damage is your homes hot water heater. They typically rust out from the inside and will all of a sudden spring a leak. The best way to prevent this is to replace them every ten years and once a year drain them to remove sediment from the bottom of the tank. Do this even if they say that they are self cleaning. Also be sure to have a drain pan under the tank to catch any leaks that might develop. Another common source of leaks is ice maker and washer and dryer lines.

To prevent this type of leak you should change your hoses on a regular basis and use steel reinforced hoses which are substantially stronger than common rubber and plastic hoses. Yet another common cause of a flooded home is an overflowing toilet. This can be hard to prevent if you have kids as they are a common cause of this. To try and prevent it though you should use toilet lid child proof locks and instruct your children on the proper amount of toilet paper to put in the bowl. It also might be a good idea to purchase a toilet snake and snake the toilet on a regular basis to keep clogs from forming. Lastly to minimize the damage make sure that the toilet has a shutoff valve and know how to use it.

These are some of the most common causes of water damage in a home. Although there are more causes these are the basics. By preventing them you will greatly reduce the chances of a flooded home. Good luck.

If you do suffer from water damage repairs, please visit our water damage contractor directory.