Liam Smith
The problem with water damage lies in the fact that it damages your property and even put lives at stake. No, this is not an exaggeration. You see, it’s nearly impossible to imagine a modern home without heavy reliance on electronics and where there are electronics and water in the mix, the risk of electrocution is quite high.
Even without this (and the increase in slip risk, which is not to be underestimated on its own), there’s also the issue of damage to your property. Your walls, ceiling, and floors, as well as your furniture, will be in danger. The same thing goes for your property. The most absurd thing about it all is just how easy it is to prevent water damage to your home. Here are six tips that you should consider.
Fixing your roof
The first thing you need to understand is that, due to the very nature of rain, your roof is pivotal to the protection of your home. A leaking roof is more than just an inconvenience, it’s a potential hazard that you can easily prevent. The last thing you want is for dripping water to cause stains on the ceiling, damage your hardwood floor or, worse yet, drip near an electrical appliance or a power outlet. In this particular scenario, the potential danger for the inhabitants would be quite substantial. In order to avoid this from happening, what you need to do is fix a leak in the roof or replace a broken/missing shingle.
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Flashing the roof
Previously, we’ve talked about fixing the roof by replacing shingles, however, not all of your roof is protected by the shingle system. What this means is that you need to protect gaps, like those occurring around your chimney or your skylight. The method for doing this is called simply flashing and it consists of using a non-leaking material on these joints in order to make the roof ironclad. Keep in mind that there are various styles and materials of flashing, which means that you’ll easily be able to find something that fits your roof.
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Fixing your guttering and downspout
In the last two sections, we’ve discussed your options to turn your home’s roof into an impenetrable barrier in order to protect the inside of your home. However, what happens next? You can’t just let this rainwater splash all over your property. First of all, it could drown the soil in your backyard, thus killing any gardening attempt that you’ve attempted to make. Second, it could cause damage to your concrete by penetrating it and then freezing and expanding within the cracks. All in all, in order to ensure that this rainwater finds its way to your drainage system, what you need to do is improve your guttering and downspout systems.
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Regular maintenance
Even the best guttering system can’t do much if it’s clogged or not properly maintained. This is why it’s important that you clean your gutters at least twice every year. This is a fairly simple task that the majority of people handle on their own. What you need are sturdy ladders, some rubber gloves, and some plastic bags. Apart from this, you can get yourself a specialized tool in order to maximize the effectiveness of this task. Naturally, PPE is more than recommended.
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Rendering
The next thing worth mentioning is the importance of protecting the side of your home from water damage. You see, your home’s façade is definitely not immune to water damage, which is why you need to consider rendering as a way of making it more resilient. Keep in mind that there are different types of rendering, some of which may fit the theme of your home. So, look for professionals who provide all types of home rendering and ask them for their opinion when it comes to your home. What you’re looking for is something to fit both your home and your budget.
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Check your plumbing
All the work that you’ve done on your home’s exterior water protection is completely useless if the water damage comes from within your home. A clogged or leaking pipe can cause a lot of damage in areas that are not made to resist this amount of moisture (unlike your home’s exterior). Therefore, you need to properly maintain your plumbing, fix it as soon as it starts showing some symptoms of damage/clogging and consult an expert to handle this.
In conclusion
All in all, what’s important is that you realize that the danger to your home comes from various fronts and that the only way for you to stay safe is to cover them all. So, if you had to make a roadmap, it would be to identify all the dangers, try to mitigate them preventively and invest heavily in the maintenance of this system.
