Your home needs to be protected from leaks. Leaks can lead to expensive water damage repairs. About 10% of the homes in the U.S. have plumbing leaks that can waste around 90 gallons of water each day according to the EPA. Repairing leaks and preventing leaks should be on every homeowner’s radar. This easy-to-follow guide will show you how to prevent leaks in your home.
Do This First
When is the last time you inspected your home for trouble areas? If you are like most homeowners the answer will vary from, never, to a long time ago. Many times a leak in your home goes undetected until you have water damage. One of the ways to combat leaks and the problems they cause is to look around your home for any potential problem areas.
You want to visit the areas in your home that are most likely to have problems. That includes the crawl space under your home (if you have one), the attic, the basement, and around the foundation of your home. Take a flashlight with you to ensure you can see into dark unlit spaces.
What Should You Look For?
When you are doing an inspection of your home for problem areas you should start at the top and work your way down. Look in the attic first. Look for signs of moisture on ceiling beams, floors, and walls. If you notice any wet spots, it is time to call a roofer for a roof inspection.
Check out your bathrooms where pipe joints meet. Look in your basement for any damp or wet spots on the walls floors or ceiling. Make note of anything that you are unsure about to come back and check it again.
Prevention
It is far better to prevent leaks in your home than it is to deal with the aftermath. About 15% of homeowners had to deal with fixing a drain problem the last year according to a national study. Drains can be an issue not only because they back up and you cannot get anything to go down the drain, but because they leak.
Professional drain cleaning services can help you to prevent problems with your drains. Additionally, when they do the drain cleanouts they also inspect the drains to ensure that everything is working as it should. A little preventive maintenance can keep leak issues from cropping up in your home.
Basement Leaks
One of the most common problem areas in a home is the basement when it comes to leaks. Basement waterproofing can help. Basement waterproofing will stop leaks and address the core problem. There are several reasons why your basement may have leaks. The slope of your property can play a role, the condition of your foundation can play a role, and even roof problems can play a role.
Basement waterproofing will ensure that the water does not leak into your home and cause damage. Of course, the best way to resolve the problem is to fix the root of the problem.
Clogged Gutters and Roof Leaks
Preventing leak problems can be as simple as cleaning out your gutters. Clogged gutters can cause standing water to seep under your roof. Making sure that your gutters are highly functional and your roof is not in disrepair is essential in preventing leaks in your home.
If you do not want to deal with leak prevention in your home, there are professional services that can help you. A roofing company can manage your roof inspections and repairs. A plumbing company can do plumbing inspections, repairs, and replacements. A basement waterproofing company can take care of the basement in your home. The important thing is not who gets the work done but just getting it done. Learn more today about protecting your home from leaks.
Thanks for sharing these tips. I feel like I have something important to add. To prevent water line and sewer line leaks, plant trees carefully. We don’t usually think about it until a problem occurs. But the tree or other plant roots can grow into the pipes and cause pipe leaks. Planting trees and shrubs at least ten feet from sewer lines is better. Also, choose trees with close-spreading roots that pose little threat to sewer lines.