Five Ways to Prevent Water Damage in Your Home

Are you concerned about the safety and protection of your home?  Do you perform maintenance on your home to keep it safe from issues like weather, fire, and water?  Although these issues may occur without us knowing it, we will still want to do as much as we can to prevent extensive damage to our property.  As a public insurance claims adjuster in Polk County, we can not only help you settle your claim, but we can provide you with helpful tips to avoid having to file one in the first place.  These are a few ways that homeowners can prevent water damage in their home.

Keep Trees Away from Your Home

Many people love to plant greenery, like trees and shrubs, in the landscaping right next to their home.  Although this may look great at first, trees may grow deep roots that disturb the water lines and pipes running through the ground and up to your home.  If this occurs, it can cause leakage and broken pipes that lead to catastrophic and expensive issues.

Clean Your Gutters

Ensure that your gutters are working properly so that they can drain water away from your home.  By removing any branches, debris, contaminants, litter, or other objects from your gutters, they will lead water away from the foundation.  If your gutters are clogged or malfunctioning, this can cause water to drip down the side of your home and cause damage to the foundation and structure of your building.

Install Smart Water Sensors

With the rise of smart home technology, many of us have heard of thermostats, doorbells, and security cameras that alert us to anything out of the ordinary.  But have you ever heard of smart devices that detect water leaks?  These sensors can spare you from having undetected damage that leads to many more problems.  Many homeowners have been installing these devices in areas like laundry rooms, bathrooms, basements, and kitchens.

Get a Sump Pump

A sump pump is a beneficial piece of equipment that you should consider installing in your basement.  Because these areas are more susceptible to flooding, you may want a sump pump down there.  Sump pumps will essentially pump any rising water back outside of the home.  This will minimize the water damage to your basement while also keeping everything as dry as possible.

Take Care of Your Pipes

Pipes can leak undetected for months, especially when they are located behind walls or under cabinets.  To prevent these issues from happening, you should take good care of your pipes.  A few ways to do this are to unclog drains when you notice any issues, avoid putting grease down your drains, keeping the internal temperature regulated, and keeping the water pressure low.  

These are a few of the ways that you can prevent water damage in your home.  If you have suffered from water damage that destroyed your home or belongings, you may want to file insurance claims.  Contact our public insurance claims adjuster in Polk County to hear how we can help with your claim today.