How to Prevent Water Damage: Tips and Guide

We’ll be blunt: it’s better to know how to prevent water damage before a disaster. Water damage really isn’t fun (unless you’re like us and work to mitigate or prevent water damage all the time!).

To help you prevent leaks, sewage backup, and a whole host of other water damage problems, we created this handy little guide! Let’s get started with the basics.

Leaky faucets and overflowing toilets are common causes of small-scale water damage.

Can You Protect Your Home from Water Damage?

Absolutely. In fact, there are quite a few things you can do to prevent water damage. But first, you need to know what causes it first.

How Do Water Leaks Happen?

Old pipes, excessive rain, clogged drains, and more can lead to water damage (check out the types of water damage, if you’re curious). Most of the time, water damage happens because some part of your home or business failed (i.e. a hole in the roof, a washing machine broke, a toilet overflowed, etc.).

So, How Do You Prevent Water Damage?

The best way to prevent water damage is to be vigilant with maintenance.

While you can’t really control the weather or other issues that cause water damage, good maintenance gives your property the best chance to limit the chances of it happening.

Tips to Prevent Water Damage and Leaks

Without further ado, let's cover how to prevent water damage. Oh, and while this article focuses on residential water damage, these tips also apply to offices and other properties!

Clean and Maintain Your Gutters Frequently

Clogged gutters prevent the flow of water around your home. This means water will pool in a specific area instead of being directed away from your home and foundation. If this water isn’t directed away, it can damage the structure of your home.

Inspect Your Roof and Chimney for Water Leaks

Similarly, making sure your roof and chimney are clean and leak free can go a long way in preventing water damage. Ensure that there are no holes, missing shingles, or broken chimney protectors to keep water from penetrating into your home.

Fix Cracked or Missing Caulking

Caulking provides a seal in between things like sinks and bathtubs and surrounding floors or walls. When it gets damaged, water can seep in between floor planks or saturate drywall.

While this isn’t likely to lead to serious water damage on its own, it can create a mold infestation, necessitating mold remediation (what is mold remediation?).

Keep Drains Flowing (i.e. Ensure Good Drainage)

A clogged pipe is one of the most common causes of sewage backup (and frustration!).

Treat clogged or slow drains immediately to mitigate the chances of a broken pipe or overflowing drain.

If You Have Copper Pipes, Switch to PEX Pipes

Copper pipes are largely outdated nowadays but many older homes still use them. PEX pipes are much more durable and resistant to changing weather than copper, especially if the same copper pipes have been in the house for decades.

How Can You Tell if You Have Hidden Water Damage/Leaks?

Hidden water leaks can be a nightmare if they’re not found quickly. But don’t worry, if you suspect you have a leak, here are a few things you can do to find out for sure!

Monitor Your Water Pressure for Leaks

The best way to check for a hidden leak is to shut off every sink, shower, and anything else that has a waterspout.

Once you’ve done so, check to see if your water meter is still moving. If it is, then there’s a good chance you have a leak somewhere in your home (or you forgot to turn a sink off!).

Check for Foul Odors

Sewage or mildewy odors can also be a sign that there’s hidden water damage in your house or business. This isn’t the best solution though because foul odors can also originate from other sources.

Look for Mold

Mold tends to grow anywhere there's excess moisture. If you have water damage, it's only a matter of time before mold grows.

Mold needs excess moisture of some kind in order to become an infestation. Now, this can come from humid environments (maybe caused by a shower without a good air vent) or from standing water.

If you do find mold, definitely call a remediation team. The dangers of mold are pretty serious for sensitive groups.

Hire a Water Damage Restoration Service to Check for You!

If you really think you have water damage in your home but can’t quite pin it down, you can always hire a water damage restoration service to check on your behalf. Pro teams can use special equipment to see parts of your home that you might not be able to see otherwise.

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Couldn’t Prevent Water Damage in Your Home or Office? All-Water Restoration Can Fix It!

If your efforts to prevent water damage didn’t work out so well, you’ll have to try phase 2: repairing water damage.

All-Water Restoration is well versed in handling all-things water damage, including mitigation, extraction, sewage backup repair, and mold remediation.

The Best Water Damage Restoration in Orange County

For premier water damage restoration in Orange County, you can’t go wrong with All-Water Restoration! We can arrive at most locations in the area within 1–2 hours of your first call!

If you have water damage, why not give us a call at the number on your screen for a free phone consultation!

All-Water Restoration offers the best in Orange County water damage restoration and repair!