Plumbing issues in Richmond, VA
Say ‘no’ to plumbing damage!
Clean your gutters, save your money.
Go get your toolbox! You’ve got work to do. Water from rain showers and thunderstorms can exploit weak points outside your house to get inside and cause water damage.
Maybe you’re already preparing for that—we hope you are.
But there are less obvious ways you can suffer from water damage. The thing is, the water is already in your house! So, you could have leaky pipes or faucets, damaged gutters, and other pieces of home infrastructure that need to be repaired or replaced.
You might have a plumbing time bomb waiting to blow up in your basement or bathroom right now. Don’t wait until you’re fighting an indoor flood in the mildewy waders you forgot to wash after this summer’s fishing trip.
Insurance policies cover water damage, but many won’t pay you if the problem is preventable.
We’ll tell you here how you can stop indoor water from ruining your home investment and protect yourself from common technicalities in insurance policies.
Many plumbing issues in Richmond neighborhoods are preventable. Tighten up the water security around your house and give yourself a better chance to stay dry all year
6 tips to dam up your house
Start small. Sanford Insurance of Virginia says most water damage insurance claims come from plumbing accidents, not storms.
If you don’t want to be the homeowner scratching their head looking for a solution to a disastrous plumbing issue, protect yourself now. The most common place you’re likely to find a pool of water is the best place to look for a problem.
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Check for leaky pipes or faucets – If there’s any such thing as an easy preemptive fix to prevent water damage, it’s fixing a leaky pipe. You already know how to handle this one. Stick your head under the sink or toilet; look for water on the floor or under the cabinet. If you’ve got a leak, tighten it up with a wrench. Unchecked leaks can spawn mold or permanently damage your floor and foundation. If you wait too long, a pipe could burst and flood your house.
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Clean your gutters – Cleaning your home’s gutters twice a year can go a long way to keeping your house safe from water damage. When debris builds up in your gutters, it can trap water that will damage your roof or even spill onto the ground and leach into your home’s foundation.
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Repair the caulk on windows and doors – Caulk is a valuable tool for filling cracks in your windows and doors. It’s typical for wind and other natural elements to damage the lining of your windows and doors over time. But those cracks invite rainwater and drafts to get inside your house. Routinely checking for cracks and applying caulk can easily prevent more damage.
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Maintain your sump pump – If you have a sump pump, that’s one of your best defenses against excess water. Take care of it. Your sump pump can pump water out of your house. It’s a last line of defense against flooding. We would check it routinely to make sure it’s working and check it before a storm.
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Prevent your pipes from freezing – It’s easier for a frozen pipe to burst, and winter is the season for freezing pipes. Pipes that run outside the walls of your house are especially prone to this kind of damage. To guard against this hazard, cover your pipes with insulation. It’s an easy way to keep them warm all season.
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Check the water bill – A high water bill is one of the most unmistakable signs that you have a water leak somewhere. So if you see a spike in your monthly bill, there’s a problem. You’re going to want to get to the bottom of it.
There’s still some risk
Take these precautions, and you’re less likely to have severe, preventable water damage. But your home’s safety isn’t guaranteed. There’s always a chance you’ll miss something, or a freak accident will catch you off-guard.
Protect your home with insurance, and it’ll be easier to recover from the unexpected.
If you already have water damage that you can’t afford to repair or just don’t want to bother with, consider selling your house to We Buy Ugly Houses® Richmond. Water damage doesn’t scare us away.
