“I enjoy dealing with water damage in my home”, said no homeowner, ever. As a water, fire, and mold remediation company, CCS Property Services, encounters hundreds of water-damaged homes every year, and most of the time the calls we receive are urgent because of the significance of damage to the home. Incidentally, we also believe that in some cases homeowners can help prevent water damage from happening by following simple routine maintenance tasks. Here are four ways to prevent water damage from happening in your home.
- Inspect, clean out, and replace hoses going to and from your appliances. These appliances make our lives much easier, however, by not maintaining them, disaster could strike. These appliances include washing machines, dishwashers, water heaters, and refrigerators. According to “Here’s everything you need to know about appliances hoses”, author Michael Franco, notes that it is recommended by manufacturers that you replace your washing machine’s water supply hose every three to five years, or at least twice during the life expectancy of your appliance. Check out the “Life Expectancy of Your Appliances” infographic to learn on average how long your appliances will last. In addition, on average Energy Star-rated washing machines use 12.5 gallons of water per load. (Franco, 2021). On average a family of four uses 8-10 loads of laundry per week. (Springboard, 2019) Think about it, if you are pumping out that much water, debris over time will get trapped in those hose lines and increase the risk for the hose to crack, or worse burst causing you thousands of dollars in restoration costs.
- Check your pipes and plumbing regularly. Not every homeowner is a plumber, so what should you look for when you are looking for water leakage? According to Bob Vila, a trustworthy home advice expert, check under the kitchen, laundry room, and bathroom sink for puddles of water. Other areas to inspect would be the bases of your toilet, tub or shower. (Taylor, 2020) Pay attention to your water usage, and if you notice an increase in water usage, it may be another indication of water leakage. Mold or the smell of mold is another sign of water. If you think you have mold, contact CCS Property Services today for a free mold assessment.
- Inspect and test your Sump Pump on a regular basis. All too often, water damage is the result of a sump pump that has failed. This article, “How Long Does A Sump Pump Last On Average?”, recommends that when a sump pump reaches 7 years old, it’s time to replace it. Other indications that your sump pump needs to be replaced are: 1) the pump won’t engage 2) it runs constantly, 3) rust is clearly visible around the base, or 4) it’s making weird noises. These are just a few signs that your sump pump could be on the verge of failing. (American Family Insurance, 2022) Sump pumps are susceptible to power surges and outages as well, so why not get a battery backup system for your sump pump as added protection?
- Clean out your gutters regularly. Your gutter system draws rainwater away from your house, so if the gutters are clogged they won’t be able to properly flow. In a down-pouring rain, what happens instead is that the gutters overflow and run down the side of your house and foundation causing extensive water damage to the ceiling, walls, and floors. By developing a habit of inspecting your gutters and cleaning out the debris, you can help prevent the unforeseen event of water damage, and the need to call an expert like CCS Property Services.
As a homeowner, by taking this advice from our experts in water remediation and restoration, your odds are higher that you won’t encounter a water issue. You’ve heard the saying, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. Our goal is to provide the homeowner with nuggets of information so that you don’t have to make that emergency call to CCS Property Services. However, we all know that not all catastrophic events are preventable. When and if you do encounter water damage in your home, and need a water remediation company you can count on, rest assured that CCS Property Services will be there to lend a helping hand.