Repairing And Preparing For Water Damage

Fall in Utah is absolutely beautiful. With corn mazes, spook alleys, pumpkin spice everything, it is hard to not love this time of year. It is also a good time of year to perform some necessary maintenance around your home to prevent water damage repairs and prepare for winter.

Water Damage Repair In Layton

1. Inspect the entire outside of your home and look for any damaged areas. Cracks, openings, and chips in siding and foundation provide ways for water to seep into your home, so be sure to look for any areas that need patched and repaired before winter comes.
2. Inspect your roof to be sure that it is in good condition, there are no loose or missing pieces, and that water does not collect on the roof. Be sure that your roof is maintained regularly and fortified to withstand the snow and ice that comes with winter.
3. Since windows and doors provide openings into your home, it is important to be sure that any repairs on seals around windows and door frames are fixed before the cold weather comes. You can use caulk or weather stripping to seal areas around windows and doors to prevent water, snow, and ice from leaking inside.
4. Leaves and debris can collect in gutters and down spurts, causing water to back up and overflow onto your home and around your foundation. Anytime water collects around the outside of the home, it has the potential to cause water damage inside. Check that water is not getting trapped behind gutters, and that it can flow freely away from your home.
5. Turn off your sprinkler system, and drain the water completely. Any water is left sitting in those pipes can freeze and cause the pipes to burst and spring leaks. Burst sprinkler pipes can cause major flooding in the basement of your home, so it is important to get them blown out before freezing temperatures come.
6. Turn off exterior faucets, drain hoses, and store them away during winter. If there is water trapped in your house when the temperatures drop, it will not only ruin the hose, but also cause water to freeze in the pipe. Frozen pipes are bad news for water damage prevention. 
7. Insulate pipes that are exposed to outside walls of the home, located in basements and attics that do not have heat, and that are prone to freezing when temperatures drop. Keeping pipes insulated will help prevent heaters inside them from freezing. Since frozen pipes increase the pressure on pipes, it will make pipes burst which can cause major leaks and flooding. 

So while you are out enjoying the crisp October weather, take some time to ensure your home is protected from water damage. And if you do find yourself dealing with water damage, call Swift Restoration right away.