Five Ways To Prevent Your Summer Vacation From Being Cut Short By Water Damage

A summer vacation is a time to relax, not a time to worry about water damage. So you can more fully enjoy your vacation, below are a few tips that our experts at Courtesy Care in Fayetteville recommend you take before leaving on vacation.

Thoroughly Check Your Home For Hazards Before Leaving

It’s not much fun to go through your home to inspect for leaks while you’re busy packing for a trip. Nonetheless, doing this will give you greater peace of mind when you leave so you can enjoy your trip more. Specifically, you will want to examine the pipes under your bathroom and kitchen sinks to inspect for leaks, check your water heater for rust or cracks, and make sure that all your doors and windows are properly sealed.

Clean Your Rain Gutters

Again, this is not much fun to worry about before a vacation, but the effort is worth it. Clogged rain gutters and downspouts often lead to water pooling on your roof. Over time, this will break down the integrity of your roof leading to major leaks and severe water damage. Another important step is to make sure that your downspouts are facing the right direction. If they are discharging water too close to your home, that water is likely to flood your basement. Always ensure that your downspout is discharging water at a minimum of ten feet away from your home.

Have Someone Checking In On Your Home

This is an easy safeguard against serious water damage. Having someone check up on your home regularly will make it so a leak is detected before it becomes more severe. This won’t prevent water damage, but it will make it possible to detect it early and stop the damage from becoming any worse.

Shut Off Your Water Supply Valve

If this is a feasible option for you, it is worth considering because it will almost completely eliminate any threat of a flood. Although, this won’t work for everyone because those with a sprinkler system will need their water on for it to operate. Even so, you can still shut off some of the worst culprits of water damage such as washing machines, ice makers, and toilets by using their individual shut off valves.

Test Your Sump Pump

If you have a sump pump, you should test it to make sure it is working before leaving on vacation. You can test it by filling up the sump pit with a bucket of water and then simply observing if it pumps out the water. If you don’t own a sump pump, it is an investment worth considering. They are very affordable and can be bought at a local home improvement store. Having one can be the difference between a small inconvenience and a devastating flood.

Despite all the precautions in the world, sometimes water damage still just happens. If that is the unfortunate case for you, don’t hesitate to give us a call at Courtesy Care in Fayetteville and our water damage restoration technicians will be right out to begin restoring your home back to new.