Water is incredibly powerful. While we can happily run our hands under a sink tap, that same water can shape entire landscapes if given enough time or enough pressure. Rivers can carve away entire rock. Freezing water can split concrete. And, in your home, your fresh water and wastewater can do unbelievable damage to rugs, hardwood floors, paint, wood, plaster, and your belongings.
Few things can do as much to destroy a home’s value as water. Fixing water damage is tough even for professional restorers and flippers, and homes with enough water damage can even be totaled.
You don’t want to be dealing with water damage. What you do want is to prevent that damage before it ever happens. Here are a few ways to do just that.
Waterproof your foundation and basement
Your foundation is an incredibly important part of your home. Problems with it can destroy the whole rest of your house. To keep your home on firm footing, you need to keep an eye out for any kind of damage that threatens your foundation. That means cracks and uneven settling. It also means water damage.
Water inside and outside of your home can threaten your foundation. You’ll want to keep your foundation and basement as dry as possible, of course, but you should also make sure that it’s ready to handle any moisture that does find its way down there. Waterproof your basement, and redo the waterproofing periodically. A waterproof coating on your basement walls and floor, along with waterproofing measures outside your home, will achieve greater protection.
Keep your pumps happy
Your plumbing system is cleverly designed to use gravity to send water where it needs to be, with minimal use of pumps. But there’s a good chance that your home does have some pumps in it, and maintaining them is crucial to keeping water where it is supposed to be.
Of particular importance is your sump pump. If you have a sump pump, you’ll find it in your basement. The sump pump is usually found in a sump pit in the floor of your home’s lowest level. It gets excess water out of the soil around and beneath your home, so that your house can settle properly and so that water does not surge up from beneath your structure and flood your home.
And if your sump pump stops working, that is very bad news. Check in on it regularly and rely on a professional to inspect it from time to time. Get a sump pump replacement right away whenever a professional advises you to do so. This is not something that you want to hesitate on.
Watch for leaks
Even if you keep all outside sources of water from soaking your home, you’ll still have to worry about another source of water: your own plumbing system. Your plumbing system brings in lots of fresh, healthy water and delivers it to your taps and other plumbing fixtures. Your plumbing system also takes wastewater out of your space.
But pipes can leak. Keep a careful eye out for signs of leaks in exposed pipes or within your walls, floors, and ceilings. You want to catch leaks fast, because leaks don’t get better on their own — they only get worse!
Tackle leaks by calling a trusted local plumber as quickly as possible. Getting leaks fixed right away will prevent them from becoming larger problems or triggering a chain reaction of issues across your plumber system.
While you’ve got your plumber around, ask about preventative maintenance and inspections. Your next leak could be stopped before it even gets started.