Imagine coming home from work or vacation and seeing your house or basement flooded. Unfortunately, flooding in homes due to pipe bursts, plumbing leaks, damaged appliances, heavy thunderstorms, and flash floods is common. Still, the water damage can be too pricey.
Everything is at risk, from carpets to furniture items to electric appliances to home foundations. Fortunately, regular maintenance and simple precautions can help prevent potential water damage to your properties.

This post will cover secret prevention tips to protect your properties from water damage. But first, let’s briefly go through some significant dangers of water damage. Read on!

Dangers of Water Damage in Homes

You’re wrong if you think water damage is not a big deal. Water damage is not just limited to hurricanes and floods; it can happen due to blocked gutters, water appliance malfunctions, leaks in pipes, and faulty sump pumps.

Here are some significant dangers of water damage to your properties:

Structural Damage to Properties

Water damage can severely affect the structures and foundations of properties. It can destroy ceilings, floors, and walls. Water damage from pipe leaks and bursts can also collapse ceilings and roofs. Whether your home has a concrete, masonry, or stone foundation, water damage can weaken it with time. All these structural damages are costly to fix and can devalue your properties by 30 – 40%.

Mold, Mildew, and Fungus Growth

Mold, mildew, and fungus growth can begin as soon as after 24 hours of water damage. Apart from destroying the walls, ceilings, and belongings, these growths can cause many skin and health diseases. In addition, if left untreated, mold, mildew, and fungus growth can spread to the whole house, making the elimination process lengthier and more costly.

Risks of Electrocution

Every property has electric outlets, appliances, switchboards, and wires. Even minor flooding from pipe bursts or rainstorms can make the water enter the electric system, devices, and low-mounted electric outlets, increasing the severe risk of electrocution. Therefore, it’s essential to contact water damage repair services asap to save yourself and your loved ones from electrocution.

Damage to Personal Items

Water damage can cause more than property destruction; it also puts your items at risk. Taking action and getting professional help after recognizing signs of water damage may offer you a good chance to save cherished possessions such as furniture, documents, carpets, clothing, and other valuable materials.

Health Hazards

Flood water and sewage water contain hundreds of harmful bacteria and viruses. These bacteria can cause severe intestinal, skin, and respiratory diseases. Similarly, moisture and mold buildup from water damage can cause asthma and sinus congestion.

Bugs

Bugs like spiders, mosquitoes, bedbugs, ticks, beetles, and fleas love water and moisture. These bugs will enter your space within 24 to 48 hours after water damage.

How to prevent water damage

Water damage can become disastrous for properties, whether a minor plumbing leak, a water appliance malfunction or a significant flood. Therefore, it’s essential to spare time out of our routines and keep a check and balance on our properties. It’s better to be safe than sorry. As promised, here are some prevention steps you can take to avoid the catastrophic effects of water damage:

Maintain Drains and Sinks

50% of water damage occurs due to clogged drains and sinks. Here are some steps you can take to maintain the sinks and drains:

Don’t throw trash, debris, or oily substances in sinks and drains
Regularly clean them with chemical agents
Replace faulty parts as soon as you notice them
Always seek professional help asap to unclog drains and sinks

Monitor the Appliances

Appliances like water heaters, refrigerators, washing machines, dishwashers, and air conditioners can commonly malfunction and cause leaks. These malfunctions happen due to a lack of maintenance and faulty parts. Therefore, it’s essential to clean and monitor the appliances for potential leaks regularly. The more quickly you detect the problem, the more efficiently you prevent water damage.

Install Leak Detectors

Though water leak detectors are costly, these electronic devices are beneficial for preventing water damage. Leak detectors can immediately detect every minor and significant leak and alert resident through an alarm. From plumbing leaks to flood water to sewage water, these devices will identify water damage even before it arrives.

Keep the Gutters Clean

Gutters are the main element preventing running water from entering your home’s foundation. Regularly clean the gutters thrice a year to avoid water damage and clogging. Since gutter cleaning is a complicated task with health risks, hiring professional services is essential.

Maintain Sump Pumps

Sump pumps are the prominent soldiers protecting your home from floods, thunderstorms, hurricanes, and other water damage. They are usually installed in the basements to pump when the groundwater rises. Make sure to test your sump pumps during rain and thunderstorm seasons. You can also hire professionals for regular sump pump maintenance.

Turn Off the Main Water Supply Before Leaving

If you are leaving for a long trip or vacation and the house is empty behind, consider shutting off the main water supply. Even small leaks or issues in the plumbing system can cause severe water damage while you are away. Turning off the main water supply can help prevent the danger.

You can count on our experts

Whether natural disasters, plumbing leaks, or appliance malfunctions, taking protective measures can help prevent water damage. If you experience any signs of water damage in your property, contact professional services asap to avoid severe destruction.

Our team provides inspections and 24/7 emergency services for water damage repair, restoration, and cleanup. From cleaning the mess to repairing your belongings and foundations, our professional team will do it all while you relax.