Spring Showers Bring Potential Water Damage

4/1/2017 (Permalink)

Spring Showers Bring Storm Damage and Water Damage to Homes

While many of us look forward to the changing season of Spring with the warmer weather and the trees and flowers starting to bloom, there is one part that isn’t so great. Springtime always seems to bring plenty of rain and plenty of rain always brings a higher risk of water damage to your home.

Roof Leaks

With the increased showers as well as high winds, roof damage can happen or be revealed as water seeps through your roof and damages your ceilings and walls. To reduce the risk of roof leaks, you should inspect your roof for any damages from the winter and inspect it after every major storm.

The most common cause of roof leaks is a damaged or missing shingle from storms or fallen branches. If you do experience water damage inside your home from the ceiling or wall, you will want to contact a professional from SERVPRO to inspect the damage, remove the water, an remediate the damage. 

Window & Door Leaks

Another common source of water damage is from old or damaged windows. Water especially from a huge storm can blow into cracks and crevices around your window causing water damage that may not be discovered quickly allowing mold to develop and cause further damage.

Make sure to inspect around your windows and doors for cracks or old caulking that has peeled or cracked off. You can usually caulk any small cracks or crevices to ensure water doesn’t seep into your home causing damage.

Broken Sump Pump

If you have a basement, you understand the importance of a sump pump. Without one water can seep into your basement and cause lots of damage. One of the most common causes of a flooded basement is a sump pump that stopped working.

To prevent this from happening, you can do three things. You can get a backup battery for your sump in case the power goes out. You can get a backup sump pump that is usually set to come on if the water rises above the normal level for your working sump pump. So if your working sump pump either stops working or can’t pump the water out fast enough, you backup will kick in.

The last thing you can do is install a water sensor alarm on the floor near the sump pump. While you may still have some water damage, at least you will be able to catch it fast and have a SERVPRO professional come out to pump out the water and dry out your basement.

Foundation Cracks

If the foundation around the base of your home and the basement walls cracks, water can seep into the basement or crawl space. A sump pump won’t help you since the water is seeping through the walls as opposed to being channeled to the sump pump.

Usually people discover foundation cracks after a big storm or when a gutter is clogged and the water is falling right by your house. Repairing foundation cracks can be a very expensive job depending on the situation but without the repair, there is no way to prevent the water leaking into your basement or crawlspace.

It never hurts to walk around the perimeter of your home checking for any potential foundation cracks as well as checking any bare walls in your basement and/or crawlspace.

Call the Pros of SERVPRO for Water Damage This Spring

If you should suffer water damage whether from Spring weather or a cracked pipe or an overflowing bathtub or toilet, call the water damage cleanup experts at SERVPRO of Indianapolis West at 317-243-3149 for 24-hour emergency service. You can also click here to contact us online.

At SERVPRO of Indianapolis West, we have specialized equipment, professional training, and certifications that allow us to restore your home to its pre-water damage condition.