3 Water Damage Cleanup Preps You Should Do Right Now!

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Prepare for Water Damage Cleanup Now

Don't wait. Act now. Before your sump fails during spring runoff or summer monsoon. Take some simple precautions as the Front Range heads into our wettest months of the year, and you could head off major headaches and costs that rise with the water intruding into your home or business. Because the best way to handle water damage cleanup is to prevent water damage. Here are a few tips to help.

#1 Prevent or Minimize Water Damage With Good Maintenance

An ounce of prevention can prevent a flood of costly water damage cleanup challenges. Take time now to check out your property. Here are some common areas where good maintenance can protect your property from expensive water damage:

• Doors,windows,atticvents,etc. - Thoroughlyinspectdoors,windows,atticvents, clothes dryer vents and any other openings to the outside. Pay attention to discolored structural materials, peeling paint, eroding concrete or mortar and other signs of water intrusion into the building or porous building materials. Look for flaking caulking, sticking windows and other signs of developing water damage.
• Exterior and foundation - Check for holes and cracks in exterior wall materials. Inspect all entrances where pipes or wiring enter the structure. Inspect foundation for cracks, settling and erosion. Repair all cracks and seal all holes.
• Plumbing - Periodically perform a thorough inspection of all visible plumbing. Look for discoloration, swollen building materials, mold and other signs of persistent leaks under sinks and around tubs and showers. Don't forget the laundry room; check for leaking hoses and connections, as well as signs that hoses could soon fail (bulging, dry rotting). Check for leaky faucets; the leak could extend below the counter and be damaging the structure.
• Roof - Inspect your roof for missing, damaged or deteriorated shingles, and repair of replace. Look for weathered, cracked sealant around chimneys, attic vents, plumbing gas vents and conduit entrances; reseal regularly. You can find leaks in your attic by looking for discolored areas of roof decking, then measuring from the origination of the leak to two other points, such as the roof peak and a vent or chimney. Use these measurements on the outside of your rook to pinpoint leak areas for repair. Be aware that leaks can travel along structural surfaces, hiding their originating point. Try to identify the highest point where a leak is evident (water falls, always).
• Basement sump - Make sure basement sump pumps are tested, in good repair and less than 10 years old. A fetid swamp in your basement will invalidate all the reasons you thought you had to trust that old pump.

#2 Install Effective Water Management Measures

While you're keeping your property in good repair, make sure that the structures designed to catch, move, hold and safely drain water away from the structure are in good repair. A precautions can make the difference between a little water damage cleanup and a full-on disaster. Here are a few measures that can reduce your property's exposure to water damage risk:

• Flashing - Thin metal strips, sometimes with sealing rubber or foam gasket material adhered to one side. You can use different types of flashing to prevent water intrusion where different structural parts and materials connect, such as windows, doorways, thresholds, chimneys, vents and roof peaks, edges and joints.
• Vents - Good ventilation can minimize water damage from any intrusion. Ensure that attic and crawl space vents are properly installed, in good repair and unblocked.
• Gutters and downspouts - Ensure that gutters are clear so that drainage is unimpeded, and that downspouts don't leak. Also make sure your downspouts extend as far away from the structure as possible to reduce the risk of groundwater intrusion into basements and foundation erosion (min. 6 ft. recommended).
• Battery backup for sump pumps - Consider installing an automatic battery backup system to power your sump pump in case power is interrupted right when you need it most.

#3 Have a Plan for Fast Water Damage Cleanup

Weather can laugh in the face of all our best preparations, so make sure you have adequate insurance coverage and that it's always current. And remember you can call ECO Clean for fast, professional help with any water damage cleanup challenge. When you have water damage, ECO Clean cares!

More info:

• Flood Safety and Preparedness From Weather.com
• Water Damage Cleanup and Safety Tips from the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification
• Flood Recovery Tips from U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security National Flood Insurance Program