Water that seeps into homes and saturates valuable household items results in disastrous water damage. Water-drenched furniture, electronics and appliances are expensive messes to clean up and restore.

While water damage is ruinous, homeowners can take steps to prevent the calamities caused by the seemingly harmless agent—water.

How Does Water Damage Affect the Home?

Severe structural damage is the number one consequence of water damage. The wood in the home becomes dampened, inviting a host of unwanted pests, like ravenous termites and carpenter ants.

An infestation of revolting mold and mildew latches onto moisture-rich materials, causing a whole slew of undesirable effects to a home’s occupants as well as to their property.

What Spurs Water Damage?

Common causes of water damage include foundation cracks, leaky roofs, clogged toilets and leaky dishwashers.

Weather-related devastations, such as torrential rainfalls and heavy snow, may also produce flooding, leading to water damage.

Given the fact that water damage often springs from household amenities, like the washing machine or broken plumbing pipes, keep a close eye on the components within the home that are intended to keep daily life running smoothly or better yet, schedule a plumbing home inspection from a licensed professional.

Nature, too, can take a massive toll. While heavy rains and floods are uncontrollable, homeowners can monitor the sump pump and take steps to protect the interior of the home from the lash of powerful weather.

Sump Pump Solutions

Our water restoration experts believe the sump pump is the number one way to keep floodwater from engulfing the basement. When storms hit, homeowners should take precautions and check to make sure the sump pump is fully operational.

Sump pumps should ideally be tested once annually. During storm seasons, test the sump pump more frequently. In addition to testing the sump pump, invest in a battery-operated backup sump pump. mold

Installing a generator is an alternate solution to a battery-powered sump pump. In either scenario, if the electricity goes out, the homeowner will be protected against basement flooding.

Drainage Answers

A home’s gutter system whisks away excess rainwater from the home’s siding and foundation. In order for the gutters to perform at optimum level, the gutters should be cleaned regularly.

Twice each year, in the spring and fall, fallen leaves and debris should be removed from the gutters. If the home is situated near trees, gutter cleanings are to be performed more frequently.

Gutters connect to a downspout, which routes the water further away from the property. Ensure the downspout directs water five to ten feet away from the home.

Yard Grading Options

A home that is built on the bottom of a sloped yard will experience frequent flooding.

The lack of proper drainage almost guarantees the water will pool around the home’s foundation, leading to a weakened foundation and water seeping into the basement.

Yard grading is literally altering the slope of the lawn. Yard grading is a task in which landscapers or do-it-yourself homeowners pile dirt and add new grass around the perimeter of the home, forming a slope that allows water to fall away from the foundation.

French drains are an alternate remedy for directing water away from the home. A ditch is dug around the home, inserted with a water pipe and covered with decorative gravel. The water pipe leads water away from the property.

Leaky Pipe Remedies

Regularly inspect the home for leaky plumbing pipes. If the water bill suddenly spikes for no apparent reason, a water leak may be the culprit.

Pipe repair tape can be adhered to a leaky pipe, serving as a much-needed, temporary fix. A leaky pipe will have to be replaced by a licensed plumber. As a short-term solution, the pipe repair tape will save homeowners time and money until a professional plumber addresses the issue.

Worn Roof Shingle Fixes

A flawed roof may leak water into the home’s interior. Damaged or missing shingles should be given prompt attention.

Handy homeowners can easily replace a few roof shingles by removing the worn shingles and replacing them with new ones. Or, consult a professional roofing contractor for repairs.

Water Pipe Care

Prevent a clogged plumping pipe by pouring cooking grease and fats into an empty jar instead of into the kitchen sink. Once the recyclable container is filled with greases, toss the jar into the trash.

If you own a restaurant or manage a business that has some kind of food operation the way to go is working with a used cooking oil recycling company.

Greases that take liquid form during cooking harden when they fall into plumbing pipes. The resulting blockage backs up into the kitchen sink but may also affect plumbing lines in the bathroom and laundry room.

Washing Machine Pipe Maintenance

The washing machine supply lines should be periodically checked for wear and tear. Cracked hoses that deliver hot and cold water should be immediately replaced. Regardless of the condition of the supply lines, experts recommend replacing the hoses every five years.

Professional Water Damage Restoration

Despite a homeowner’s conscientious attempts to prevent water damage, the unforeseen is bound to happen. When water damage strikes your home, contact Indiana’s most trusted water damage restoration professionals, ServiceMaster by Restoration Contractors.

In full operation since 1975, the ServiceMaster by Restoration Contractors team is staffed with licensed, bonded and insured technicians. Our skilled team of water damage restoration specialists will arrive onsite swiftly to perform an initial inspection of the ruin.

Using advanced water extraction equipment, the technicians remove all traces of excess moisture from the property. Sanitization with anti-microbials is done to prevent mold growth.

If mold is present, mold remediation is provided. A final inspection completes the service. ServiceMaster by Restoration Contractors also works with the homeowner to file insurance claims.

ServiceMaster by Restoration Contractors reliably serves the residential and business communities in Fort Wayne and Northeastern Indiana.

Each call to our professionals requires individual attention; as a result, all plans are tailored to the unique situation.

We are standing by 24 hours a day at  (260) 420-1502 to respond to emergency calls.