Tips to Reduce the Risk of Water Damage to Indianapolis Homes and Businesses

3/9/2016 (Permalink)

Indianapolis Rains causing Storm, Flooding and Water Damage.

April showers bring May flowers and water damage to Indianapolis homes and businesses. With Spring upon us, we at SERVPRO of Indianapolis West receive many emergency calls of Indianapolis businesses and homeowners seeking water damage cleanup and restoration. Water damage can happen for many reasons. In the winter times, we often see burst pipes causing water damage to drywalls, floors, basements and more. In the warmer months, especially during the rainy Spring months, a majority of the water damage we see to businesses and homes are caused by flood waters, sewer backups, sump pumps failing, and leaky roofs & structures. While you can’t stop the rain, you can take some steps to reduce the risk of water damage to your home or business.

Check your Sump Pump

If you have a sump pump in your Indianapolis basement or lower level, you should check that it works properly. If you can access the pump area, you can fill up the holding area to check that the sump pump turns on and quickly removes the water. If you are unable to test your sump pump this way, you can wait until it is raining and check to make sure the sump pump turns on and operates correctly. If your sump pump has a battery backup, then you should unplug your sump pump and test it to make sure the battery backup works. Even by following these preventative steps, your sump pump can still fail and the results could be a very wet basement. If this happens, it’s important to call us immediately in order to reduce any further damage that standing water can cause like mold and mildew. We can quickly remove the water from your basement and sanitize the area to keep any mold or mildew from growing. One last piece of advice is to invest in a flood alarm. This affordable alarm detects rising waters in your basement or lower level and will sound an alarm so you can take immediate action before things get much worse. You can find these alarms at most hardware, home and big-box stores in the Indianapolis area.  

Check for Roof and Window Leaks

The next thing you can do to reduce the risk of water damage to your Indianapolis home or business is to check for signs of water leaks from your roof, windows, doors and walls. Walk around your home and/or business and check the ceilings, walls and floors for water stains. If you find a water stain, check to see how soft the area is by pushing on it with a pen or your finger. If the area is soft, it’s usually a sign that the water leak causing the water stain is not new and is a leak that is happening on a regular basis either from rain water coming in or a water pipe that is leaking. If the damage isn’t bad, you can usually find the cause of the leak and seal it up. If the ceiling or wall is soft or the stain is significant, you should call us to inspect the damage and to find out if there is further damage that is hiding behind the walls or ceilings. Much like a wet basement, a wet ceiling or wall can cause mold and mildew to proliferate and cause further damage. The other area to check for leaks is around your windows and doors. You can usually use a spray hose and spray your windows and doors to check for any tiny leaks that may cause water from a storm to enter your home or business. If there are any areas that are allowing water to enter around your doors or windows, sometimes a little caulk or a new door seal can stop the leak and sometimes you may need something more significant, like a new door or window. 

When Water Damage Happens

Even if all the preventative steps you can take, you can never reduce completely the risk of water damage to your Indianapolis home and/or business. Sump pumps will still fail, flood waters will always rise and storm waters will always find a way into homes and businesses. So if this happens to you and you live in Plainfield, Avon, Speedway, Brownsburg, or the surrounding Indianapolis areas, just give us a call at 317-243-3149 and we will be there quickly to handle your water damage cleaning and restoration needs.