Floods can happen at any time with little or no warning. Those who live in areas that are prone to flooding, like hurricane regions, should be aware of preventive and preparedness steps they can take before the flood arrives. When you prepare in advance, you can reduce the potential impact, saving time, money, and possibly even lives. Here are a few preparedness tips that you can implement to minimize the potential damage to your home in the future, provided by your friendly neighborhood water damage company.
Use Flood Damage-Resistant Materials
There are specific construction materials that are designed to reduce the amount of water damage that homes or businesses sustain in the event of a flood. These products are able to withstand direct contact with floodwaters for up to 72-hours, without sustaining significant damage that leads to major repairs. Here are examples of the top-rated flood-resistant materials:
- Floors: use concrete, pressure-treated lumber, or clay or ceramic tiles
- Walls and Ceilings: use brick, metal, concrete, or stone
- Doors: hollow metal doors and cabinets
- Surfaces: polyester epoxy paint for added protection
Raise Electrical System Components
As most people know, electricity and water do not mix. If your home happens to flood, the water can destroy your home’s electrical system. If the two make contact, you could face thousands of dollars in repairs to your electrical system, or even a fire sparked by live wires coming in direct contact with water. When you are proactive and raise your electrical system components, it protects your home and saves you money on costly repairs. Here are a few tips to help you start raising your electrical system:
- Consult with a licensed electrician to see how you can go about moving your electrical meters, switches, and outlets. If you aren’t sure how high you need to raise them, contact your local power company, who can help you determine a safe height for your area.
- Upgrade your fuse box to a newer, more modern circuit breaker system that is better equipped to handle high fluctuations in power.
Install and Utilize Sewer Backflow Valves
When a flood occurs, a potential side effect is that the floodwaters can cause damage to your sewer lines, causing them to back up. When this happens, contaminated water from the sewer lines gets pushed back through the drain pipes and into your home. When this occurs, the damage is not only expensive to clean up, but it also poses a serious health risk. Having a backflow valve can help to prevent this from happening. There are styles with a flap, with a gate valve, or with both. Here are a few things to keep in mind when determining what style will work best for you:
- Complex designs that utilize both flap and gate styles provide the most protection
- All valves should be installed on the main waste drain pipes leaving your home, or lines connected to equipment below the designated flood level
- Only allow a licensed plumber to make alterations to your plumbing or sewer lines
- Structures that use sump pumps use underground lines, making it more difficult to seal
Floods can happen anywhere, anytime, and to anyone. If damage does occur, contact a water damage company like Entrusted to restore your home to its pre-flood condition.