Protect Your Home From Water Damage – 4 Steps You Can Take Today
With the sun peeking out from the clouds, it finally feels like spring- yet, the Met Office predicts extreme weather events are on the horizon. Whether it’s due to a frozen burst pipe or flash flood, it’s important to protect your home from water damage all year round.
The UK, despite its milder climate, is notorious for unpredictable weather. There’s not many places you can go where you might need a brolly one minute and sun cream the next.
The ecological crisis of climate change is at large, and is responsible for the increasing concerns over extreme weather. If you want to know more about how and why it effects our forecast, we’d recommend reading the human causes of flooding.
However, it isn’t just homes that are prone to flooding that suffer water damage.
Cold weather can cause frozen water pipes to burst, leading to an escape of water, and damp issues that become worse with increased moisture and less opportunity for it to dry out.
A report by the Association of British Insurers states water damage is the second most common house insurance claim following storm damage. Just because it’s not happened to you yet, doesn’t mean it never will.
There are many ways that water damage can affect your home at this time of year, but you can take measures to reduce the risk or damage caused.
The four steps to protect your home from water damage
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Clear your gutters.
Removing debris allows rain water to freely flow, channelling away from your home and reducing the likelihood of it causing issues within your property.
Whilst you’re up there, check your gutters are all securely attached and connected too, as this will reduce the likelihood of any damage in high winds.
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Remove any leaves or branches from roofs.
This will give the roofs a chance to dry out and less opportunity to cause structural damage. A damaged roof is an easy way for rain to access your property, so make sure this is maintained.
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Lag pipes and maintain your fixtures.
Reduce the risk of pipes freezing and splitting by lagging those that are outside or are in unheated areas such as the loft or the basement.
Your stopcock or stop valve will shut off your water supply in the event that one of your pipes bursts. Maintaining this is essential as they can often get stiff and difficult to turn.
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Install flood sensors and a sump pump, especially if your property is at high risk.
These will detect excess moisture and alert you to potential leaks or flooding. Some sensors will shut off your water supply thus minimising damage.
A sump pump will be installed into a pit in your basement. Should water levels exceeds a certain amount, the pump will extract water out from the property using a discharge line.
As with all technology, regular maintenance is essential to ensure the machinery is in good working order.
There are several signs to look out for if you suspect you may have a leak and do not have sensors installed, we go into detail about this in how to find a water leak in your home.
It pays to be prepared for bad weather. Follow the above steps and you could save yourself the time, worry and stress of having to deal with a water damaged home.
We also have a multitude of blogs which you can rely on should you find yourself with a water damage or a flooded home. These include How To Deal With A Flooded Bathroom, What Do I Do When My House Floods?, and How to Minimise the Damage Caused by a Flood in Your Home.
If you need professional assistance, Rainbow is here to help. We are experts in Leak Detection and Trace & Access, as well as water damage repair and restoration.
No matter the problem, we have the skills and knowledge to sort it out.
If you’d like to find out more about how Rainbow can help you prevent or recover from water damage in the home or workplace, contact us on our 24/7 hotline by calling 02920 350 399.
Updated: 03/04/23