Ideas to Help Protect Your Home From Water Damage

2/22/2019 (Permalink)

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Ideas to Help Protect Your Home From Water Damage | SERVPRO® of East Central Austin - SERVPRO of East Central Austin Blog

Ideas to Help Protect Your Home From Water Damage | SERVPRO® of East Central Austin 

One of the most common and costliest disasters your home may experience is water damage. From anything such as a pipe bursting to a malfunctioning dishwasher or storm damage, there are many ways water damage could affect your home.

While water damage is not a new concept for homeowners to deal with, there are ways you can safeguard your home from some trying scenarios.

How to Protect Your Home

Water damage can bring with it many issues to deal with as well as having a possible long-term impact on your home. Mold is one of the headaches resulting from water damage, as mold can begin to grow and flourish within 48 hours of exposure to water.

When considering ways to safeguard your home, it may be helpful to break it down by areas of impact, such as by basements, kitchens, bathrooms, flooring and ceilings.

An important way to prevent water damage in the basement is by preventing water seepage. This can be accomplished by resealing vulnerable areas of the basement, making sure water drains away from your home and installing a backwater valve.

Kitchens and bathrooms may experience water damage as a result of plumbing issues and/or appliance failures.

Take some time and follow these recommendations:

• Inspect all appliances regularly, especially paying attention to hoses and faucets
• Check all seals and caulking around showers and tubs to ensure there is no leakage
• Know where your home’s main shut-off valve is located
• Be sure that you don’t leave the house while the washing machine or dishwasher are running

The possessions inside your home may not be salvageable, but there are things you can do to decrease the amount of damage and loss. Use waterproof bins to store items to protect against water damage, and keep items stored on shelving off of the floor, especially when using a basement or garage for storage.

What to Do if Water Damage Occurs

If your home experiences a water damage event, there is a good chance you will be able to salvage items that can be dried out within 48 hours. 

Make sure that you contact your insurance company immediately and evaluate just how much water damage your home has suffered as well as the type of water that is involved. 

The three types of water are:

1. “Clean” water, which can be from rain, condensation, leaky pipes, etc.

2. “Gray” water, which can be slightly dirty water from dishwashers, washing machines, clean toilets, etc.

3. “Black” water, which is water from sewage or serious flooding from nearby rivers, etc. Be aware that this water can cause serious health problems.

You will need to get your home dried out, dehumidify the area, remove wet objects and disinfect anything remaining following a water damage disaster.

Here’s a tip from the pros: Freeze any wet books, photos and papers in a frost-free freezer, which will allow you time to deal with other matters at hand. This will prevent mold and mildew from developing and causing more deterioration. Once you are able, remove them from the freezer to air-dry or fan-dry the pages.

It may seem like recovering from water damage is an overwhelming and slightly impossible task, but it doesn’t have to be. You can call on the highly trained experts at SERVPRO of East Central Austin, who are here to make it "Like it never even happened."