Fall Water Damage Prevention Tips

10/23/2023 (Permalink)

As the vibrant hues of fall begin to grace our landscapes, it's also the time to prepare our homes for the challenges that the fall season can bring. One of the most pressing concerns during this transitional period is the potential for water damage. The combination of falling leaves, heavy rains, and fluctuating temperatures can create the perfect conditions for water infiltration into your home.

To help navigate this season with confidence, we've compiled a comprehensive list of water damage prevention tips. From safeguarding your roof to fortifying your basement, these strategies will empower you to protect your home and enjoy the beauty of autumn without worrying about its potential pitfalls.

Leaves and Debris

Falling leaves can accumulate into your gutters and downspouts, causing blockages. When heavy rain comes, water can overflow and seep into your home's foundation or walls. So, before those leaves really start to fall, it's important to make sure that your gutters are cleaned out from any debris. Once the leaves do start to come down like a bad leafy storm, it's crucial to continue to check the gutters throughout the fall season.

Heavy Rainfall

Fall often brings an increase in rainfall, and it's of course known as hurricane season, which can lead to flooding - especially if your home is in a low-lying area or lacks proper drainage. If you've lived in an area where you see a lot of rainfall during this season for a while now, you probably know when it's time to prepare your home for hurricanes and bad rain storms.

These preparations include boarding windows if the storm coming is a bad one, checking all of your window and door seals so water cannot come through, and if there is a chance for flooding, prepare the outside of your home with sandbags to help deter the water away from the foundation of your home.

Freezing and Thawing

Living on the east coast, we all know too well about the fluctuating temperatures in the fall. Water can seep into cracks and crevices and freeze and expand, causing structural damage. It's important to pay attention to the weather changes so this doesn't affect your home or business.

Roof Damage

Strong winds and storms in the fall can damage shingles or other roofing materials, creating vulnerabilities for water to enter your home. If you suspect any kind of roof damage after a storm, contact a professional restoration company immediately so they can check for water damage and any mold growth that may have started.

Mold Growth

Speaking of mold, if water damage is not restored in a timely fashion, there's a huge risk of mold that can develop in your home. Not only is this unhealthy for the structure of your house, but for those living inside of it. If you suspect any mold or have water damage, please call SERVPRO or a restoration specialist to assist. They'll be able to detect moisture and mitigate any existing water as well as locate and remediate mold.

Properly Sealed Windows and Doors

As mentioned before, it's important that you properly seal the windows and doors of your house or business. This ensures that water cannot sneak into the building, helping prevent water damage. If they are not properly sealed, water can get in and damage floors, walls, ceilings, appliances, and more.

Types of Water Damage

We use a rating system to decipher whether the water that is in your house is clean or contaminated. How we do this is by breaking it down by clean water, gray water, or black water. Now, this rating system has nothing to do with the actual color of the water, this just gives us an idea of the steps we need to take during the restoration process.

So, clean water is basically just from a broken appliance, faulty sprinklers, burst pipe, or rain water. Although this type of water damage isn't dangerous, if it's not treated correctly, mold could develop from excess water - causing it to become a danger.

Gray water damage is considered unsanitary due to the source or the amount of time it has been stagnant. This standing water is usually caused by a broken toilet, washing machine, or anything that could leak hazardous material.

Black water damage is the most hazardous. It comes from natural disasters or sewage problems. This water is considered to be very contaminated, so do not touch or go near it. A professional will come out and mitigate this water for you.

Why Prepare Your Home?

Preparing your home for water damage is a of paramount importance, as the consequences of water infiltration can be both financially burdensome and emotionally taxing. Water damage has the potential to wreak havoc on your property, leading to structural deterioration, mold growth, and the loss of valuable possessions.

The disruption and upheaval caused by water-related emergencies can be emotionally distressing and highly inconvenient. By taking proactive steps to safeguard your home against water damage, you not only protect your investment but also provide peace of mind, ensuring that your home remains a safe and comfortable haven for you and your family. Prevention is not only cost-effective, but also a wise and responsible approach to maintaining the integrity and value of your property.

Our Water Damage Restoration Process

Every water damage event is a little different and requires a unique solution, but the general process stays the same. Check out our process by reading the list below:

• Step 1: Emergency Contact - The restoration process begins when you call us. Our representative will guide you through the crisis and may ask several questions to help us better understand the equipment and resources.
• Step 2: Inspection and Water Damage Assessment - We determine the scope of your water damage at this stage. We inspect and test to determine the extent of damage and how far the moisture has traveled to ensure proper and complete restoration.
• Step 3: Water Removal/Water Extraction - The water removal process begins almost immediately and removes the majority of the water. We use powerful pumps and vacuum units to quickly remove hundreds or thousands of gallons from your property, which helps prevent secondary water damage and mildew.
• Step 4: Drying and Dehumidification - We use specialized equipment to remove the remaining water that is harder to access. our professionals will use room measurements, temperature, and relative humidity to determine the optimal number of air movers and dehumidifiers needed to dry your home or business.
• Step 5: Cleaning and Sanitizing - We clean all the restorable items and structures damaged by the water. We are adept at cleaning contents using a number of techniques. Our professionals are trained to provide sanitizing treatments and to remove odors and deodorize your property.
• Step 6: Restoration - Restoration is the process of restoring your home or business to its pre-water damage condition. Restoration may involve minor repairs, such as replacing drywall and installing new carpet, or may entail major repairs, such as the reconstruction of various areas or rooms in a home or business.

Why SERVPRO?

SERVPRO is faster to any size disaster. We're here day or night, at any time of the day because storms and other disasters don't wait for a convenient time to come, and we understand that. Not only do we have the right professionals to do the job, but we will walk you through the entire process, discuss anything with your insurance company, and make sure that your home or business is back up and running as fast as possible.

So, if your home or business falls victim to water damage due to the season or any other reason, you know who to call.

About SERVPRO Team Harvey

SERVPRO of Lower Manhattan is proudly owned by Lance and Jennifer Harvey - a husband and wife duo that owns three other SERVPRO locations, including SERVPRO of Aberdeen/Holmdel, SERVPRO of West Somerset County, and SERVPRO of Hoboken/Union City.

We understand the stress and worry that comes with a fire or water damage and the disruption it causes your home or business. Our goal is to help minimize the interruption to your life and quickly make it “like it never even happened.”