Is Your Home Ready for Spring Rains?

Spring can be a great relief after the frigid days of winter, but the season has its drawbacks. Spring brings warmth, longer days, and blooming flowers, but it can also bring rain and storms. Preparing now can avert disasters later.

Here are a few tips to get your house ready:

• Make sure windows and doors are watertight – Any gaps in your home’s exterior could allow rainwater inside, facilitating damage to wood, carpet, and furniture. Sealing the gaps in the windows and doors will not only prevent the entry of water, it will also allow for more efficient heating or cooling inside the house.
• Empty your gutters – Leaves and other debris can fill your roof’s gutters in fall and winter. A full gutter will not let rainwater pass through. Rather, the rainwater will overflow and pool around the foundation of your home, possibly infiltrating your basement. A foundation soaked in floodwater will be ripe for mold growth and other problems. Clear your gutters by spraying water through them using a garden hose. You can use a trowel to scoop out significant clogs.
• Inspect for leaks – Check your ceiling, walls, floors, and the exterior of your house for any sign of water leaks. If you see any wet spots on different house surfaces, you could have a water leak somewhere in the area. Find the source of the leak, and fix it immediately. If the leak is too serious, call your local plumber for assistance.
• Schedule a basement inspection – Basement flooding is a common problem associated with rain. Even a little water in the basement could result in major problems that will be expensive to fix. Hire a professional to conduct a thorough inspection of your basement and detect potential issues before they have a chance to develop.

Preparing now for spring rains will be your best safeguard against flooding events.