How To Avoid Water Damage?
You would think that as a plumber, I would be immune to water damage in my own house. However, that is far from the case. Water can be a cruel mistress and has cost me personally thousands in damages. Please take on board my advice and tips, and these are all pearls of wisdom and all from experiences over the past 20 years of plumbing.
Millions of dollars are wasted annually due to damage caused by water. More interesting is the fact that with simple education, we can reduce and even eliminate water damage from affecting our houses. Be it your living room being flooded due to a burst pipe in the laundry area, the cupboards and vanities being ruined due to an undetected leaking pipe, or the bedroom getting drenched due to a leak in the roof.
Homeowner Tips to Prevent Water Damage
1. Check for Burst Pipes & Appliance Connections
One of the main causes of water damage inside the house is due to a burst pipe. The most common pipe to have this problem is the flexible hose.
- This is the flexible hose made of plastic that is found underneath the sink and basin and even in your toilet. This flexible hose breaks down over time and, if left undetected, can cause a major leak and cause extensive water damage to your property.
- So always make it a habit to check the flexible hoses if they don’t have any leaks or have worn off in time.
- Check also the other connections for your appliances that are connected to your piping systems, such as your washing machine, dishwasher, and fridge.
- The pipes connecting to these appliances are the second most common pipes that cause a leak and water damage inside the house. These pipes are also prone to wear and tear and can spring a leak over time.
It is, therefore, important that you know where to locate the shutoff valve on these fixtures and appliances so that if a leak occurs, you would know how to isolate the water from that specific area and prevent water damage to your property.
2. Keep Drains Clean and Clear
Your property has two types of drains:
- Sewer drains take away all your wastewater from your toilet, kitchen, and laundry area out of the house and go to a waste treatment plant.
- Stormwater drains take away rainwater from the property and go to the natural waterways like the rivers, lakes, and the ocean.
A blocked drain, whether sewer or stormwater, can flood water inside the property and cause water damage both inside and outside the house.
- The most common cause of this is the accumulation of toilet paper, wet wipes, and diapers that have stuck inside the drain pipes. So proper disposal is one good way to prevent a blocked sewer issue and prevent sewage water from overflowing outside the property and possibly getting inside the house.
- They are also caused by the entry of tree roots inside the drain pipes due to a crack or broken pipe, so an annual check of your sewer pipes is also one good preventive measure to ensure that you don’t get this issue.
3. Maintain Your Gutters and Roof
Check your gutters and roof and clear and clean them of any debris.
- Your gutters can become blocked with leaves, twigs, and branches that have accumulated on top.
- So when a heavy downpour occurs, this causes water to overflow and run down the eaves and can go inside your house and trickle down your roof.
- Make sure then to clean your roof of debris and trim trees that are near your roof to prevent leaves from accumulating on top.
Final Thoughts
Always remember, preventive measures are the best approach in order to prevent water damage from occurring on your property. If you got any plumbing work done, call your expert plumbers right away.
📖 Here is another article that you may find interesting: “Plumbing Tips for Autumn”.
📞 If you got any electrical and plumbing problems, don’t hesitate to call us at 13 10 91 to fix the problem right away.
📍 We serve areas in: Canberra, Newcastle, Hunter Valley, Central Coast, Lake Macquarie & Port Stephens.
How To Remove Tree Roots From a Sewer Drain Line - Manual Extraction
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