Preventing Water Damage from Melting Snow

When It Rains, it pours, and helps melt the snow.

When it rains, it pours, or so it seems. That coupled with melting snow is a recipe for water damage disaster. Especially if you live in a home with a basement that hasn’t undergone proper waterproofing measures beforehand. Water damage restoration can be expensive and if you need it, its something that shouldn't be ignored. To reduce the risk of water infiltrating your home, here are a few measures you can take:

Clear snow and debris from roof gutters

Step 1: Clear snow and debris from roof gutters so water can drain away. When gutter maintenance is ignored, it can create problems that eventually get pretty expensive. Clearing snow and gutters is important in the prevention of water damage, but be sure to use a professional to handle any dangerous situations.

Step 2: Make sure downspouts are working and not obstructed. They should all drain away from the house, add extensions to your downspouts if necessary. Lowe’s offers some great solutions to some common outdoor drainage problems https://www.lowes.com/c/Outdoor-drainage-Outdoors

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Step 3: Test your sump pump. If water does get into your basement, you want to be sure it is taken care of quickly. If possible before the snow starts to melt, test your sump pump and the discharge pipe to ensure it's in working order.

Step 4: Grab your shovel. Shovel away any excess snow from downspouts, basement window wells, and stairwells. Storm drains and catch basins can often get clogged with snow.

Step 5: Check the roof. Carefully brush heavy accumulations of snow and ice dams off the roof to avoid cave-ins.

Make sure your street storm drain is clear of debris and snow

Step 6: Hit the street. Clear your street storm sewer of debris and snow.

Step 7: Pay attention to the forecast. Be aware if there’s a flood warning in your area. It also helps to know if rain is in the forecast – it often makes snow melt more quickly. Here is a great safety guide for more tips and advice in the event of flooding https://www.basementguides.com/flood-safety-guide/

Step 8: Rearrange your belongings. In case water does get into your basement, you want to be sure that your valuables, any chemicals, or anything else you'd like to keep dry is off the floor.

Raise your washer and dryer off the floor

Step 9: Check your appliances. Clear out space around your water heater, furnace and other appliances, if necessary. If possible, raise your washer and dryer off the floor to help protect them from possible water damage.

If water still finds a way in, call Clean Indeed Carpet, to mitigate the damage

If you do incur water damage inside your home because of melting snow, it’s important to take action quickly by calling a professional that’s Certified in Water Damage Restoration, such as Clean Indeed Carpet, to mitigate the damage for you and calling your insurance company to begin the claim process. Once materials are exposed to water in a flood or seepage, it only takes less than two days for mold to begin growing. This is why it is so important to dry any moisture-ridden materials as soon as possible. Mold is one thing you shouldn’t take lightly, but many do despite the many health risks it carries. To learn more, check out this informative guide https://www.basementguides.com/mold/

While it’s always cheaper to be proactive and take the preventative measures to protect your home before water damage strikes, it’s not always possible; we all get busy with our daily lives and sometimes this results in important home maintenance measures being overlooked. That’s why, at Clean Indeed Carpet, we strive to give our customers the option to tackle the problem on their own with our Rentals or to hire our team to mitigate the damage. Either way, we are always striving to make it affordable for everyone.