Water damage is a terrible and expensive accident to happen in your home. However, it can be even trickier and more annoying when it happens in winter. Not only is it more difficult to dig around for a burst pipe in the cold ground, but it is also more difficult to detect the problem in the first place.
Photo: Barbara Davis
However, you can do a few things to ensure that your home is safe from water damage this winter. If you need more information about water damage, consult this handy article https://www.emergencyhomesolutionsoc.com/water/damage/newport-beach/.
Turn Off Your Water Before You Go Away
Even if you are leaving for a short time, you should turn off your water supply. This piece of advice is particularly important to people whose areas freeze over for extended periods of time. If the water in those pipes freezes, it will expand and ultimately break the pipe. Once it thaws, the point where the pipe burst will become the leak.
You may stay unaware of this leak for a long time, which will cost you both in water bill and in potential damage which you can’t prevent. However, if your water is off, you will be safe from this kind of damage.
Get a Leak Detector Device
Even the smallest leak can escalate and cause serious damage over time if left untreated. Fortunately, there are devices which can help you catch a flood or any other type of water damage before it actually does any significant damage. There are also leakage detection services that can help you get to the bottom of your problem, quickly.
The simplest ones just measure the amount of moisture and warn you if something changes drastically. However, more advanced detectors can measure the water consumption of your household and notice if the consumption increases noticeably. This could be an indicator of a water leak. All you need to do is call in an expert and have it checked out.
Get a Water Line Checkup Annually
Just like with many other things in your house, your water pipes are in constant use throughout the year. Over time, this constant use can cause wear and tear. You can learn about that the easy way or the hard way. The hard way being when the water damage occurs.
However, an annual checkup will significantly lower the odds of any leaks happening. Professional plumbers have various tools and equipment which helps them identify potentially problematic areas and resolve the problems before they become too serious and cause you significant financial expenses.
Get Sewage Lines a Checkup As Well
Sewers tend to be out of our minds for the most part. And that’s a good thing. However, at times, sewer lines can get blocked for one reason or the other. Especially if you use a lot of disposable products, like wet wipes and flush them. Recently, London had a serious problem with that kind of situation.
However, you can prevent such a blockage happening in your part of eh line by simply adding a sewer inspection to your annual house budget. It is a relatively quick and non-invasive process which can determine the state of your sewer lines and detect any potential problems before they cause a mess.
Clean Your Gutters and Roof
Even though most people think that water damage only comes from your water pipes or sewer lines, they seem to forget the gutters. If your area is prone to strong rains or heavy snowfalls, you need to ensure that all the water which falls onto your roof has a place to go. Make sure that your gutters are both clean and large enough to support the flow.
When it comes to snow, your roof needs to be strong enough to support the additional weight of the snow as well as the volume of water created when the snow melts in the spring.
