5 Inexpensive Ways to Keep Your Home Free From Water Damage

Water damage can be devastating to your home, regardless of the amount of flooding that occurs. Even a small amount of water can mean expensive repairs. If left unnoticed for long periods of time, water damage can have lasting effects like mold and structural damage.

That’s why preventing water damage before it happens is one of the biggest ways to save you money during home ownership. There are many different ways to keep water out of your home and outside where it belongs. The best part is – most of the methods are inexpensive or even free to you!

Here are five inexpensive ways to detect or prevent water damage before it becomes a major problem in your home.

1. Water Pressure Gauges

High water pressure is the leading cause of leaks and burst pipes. If the water pressure is set too high in your home, the case, hoses, pipes, and water lines can crack under the pressure and create major flooding and water damage to the home. There are small devices called water pressure gauges that are inexpensive to purchase and easy to install.

Simply attach the gauge to a faucet and turn the water on as high as possible. The gauge will read your water pressure and provide a reading of pounds per square inch. Then, compare this to the recommended amount for your home. If greater than recommended, reduce the water pressure to the recommended setting to prevent burst pipes and flooding..

2. Home Maintenance

Outdoor maintenance can help prevent flooding and is not only inexpensive, but in most cases – free! It just requires a bit of time, but will pay off when your home is safe from flooding. A few things to keep in mind:

  • Watch for proper drainage. Poor drainage can weaken your foundation, causing cracks in the concrete, pooling water, and creating easy ways for water to enter your home.
  • Consistently clean out your gutters. During the year, your gutters will fill with leaves, branches, and other debris. This leads to clogs and water that is unable to flow freely through the gutters, causing it to overflow and pour down the side of your home.
  • Check your roof. Regularly inspect your roof for loose shingles or tiles, or even those that are missing all together.

3. Install Water Detectors and Alarms

Water detectors are another easy way to help protect your home against flooding. Found at local home improvement stores, or online retailers, water alarms and detectors are inexpensive and typically run on battery power – so you don’t have to worry about them alerting you if the power goes out. Installing a floor sensor to detect water are ideal for plumbing found around appliances or sump pumps. It will alert you to any water leakage before it becomes a large issue that leads to costly repairs.

4. Water Shut-off Valves

Appliances are great culprits to home flooding. Washing machines, dishwashers, ice makers – they all love to have water hoses that leak when no one is home to stop them, causing major water damage. A simple way to prevent this disaster from happening is not to get rid of your appliances, but install a manual shut off valve on your water supply.

There’s a catch, though. Everyone in the home must be trained to use the automatic shut off valve when they are done using the appliance. There are other more costly options that you can opt into that will monitor your appliances and shut off the water supply to a specific appliance automatically at the first sign of trouble, but manual valves are a much cheaper option.

5. Monitor Your Water Bill

If you notice a spike in your water bill, this is a sign that a leak may be occurring in your home where you can’t see it. Pipes and water valves are hidden behind walls and under floor boards, and leaks can go unnoticed for long periods of time. Monitoring the water bill will give you visibility into what’s happening in the areas of your home that you can’t see – and can potentially save you money in the long run!

Water Damage Restoration Company – McMahon Services & Construction of Hainesville, IL

If you find yourself dealing with water damage despite all your hard work to prevent it from happening, McMahon Services is here to clean up and dry out your home. We’re ready to respond to any issue 24/7, and will not only clean up and restore the water damaged area, but will also find the cause of the leak and work with you and your insurance company to repair the problem.