It’s the small tasks of homeownership that we put off the most easily. But small tasks lead to big costs if we ignore them for too long. As water damage restoration providers in San Diego, we often see interior flooding that could have been avoided with just a few minutes of maintenance.
As you can see on this flood cost estimator, a 1 inch flood in a 2000 square foot home can easily rack up almost $21,000 of costs!
How can you beat your own procrastination and avoid paying thousands of dollars in flood repair and replacement of your belongings?
Try this easy trick — take out your personal checkbook. Write a check to the order of “Fix My Water Damage” in the amount of $21,000. Sign it and then take a moment to imagine what you would do if your home were flooded — where would you stay? How would you arrange to pay for the damages? What would you have to give up to fix what is damaged? A vacation? A year of your child’s college education?
Then remind yourself that, though flooding is a very common and real possibility, there are a few simple things you can do to avoid this kind of damage.
Here are the most common reasons for home floods, and the simple ways you can avoid them. Vow to yourself to do them TODAY and potentially save yourself a lot of money!
- Slow drips beneath sinks and behind toilets: it just takes a few seconds! Feel for slow drips in your cupboards below your kitchen and bathroom sinks. Touch the lowest part of the plumbing below the sink — if it’s not completely dry, you’ve got a slow leak (and possibly the start of mold!) Get a plumber in to tighten that up before the pipe eventually corrodes and bursts!
- Dishwasher hoses — same goes for dishwasher hoses. Check your input and output hoses regularly for dampness. When a dishwasher hose cracks or comes unattached, you’ve got a LOT of water draining directly onto your kitchen floor (against and under cupboards, appliances, adjacent carpeted rooms…)
- Fatty and starchy foods that block main drains: this one isn’t so much something you can check as a habit you must try to develop — resist putting fatty foods and starchy things like mashed potatos or pumpkin down your garbage disposal. Over time they can build up in your main drain and cause a sewage back up!
- Cracked washing machine hose: probably the single most common source of major indoor flooding. So easy to ignore year after year, yet the day it cracks and breaks is the day you won’t forget for a long time! Gallons per second run free into your home. Don’t even think about if you’re not there to see it happen and stop it… check your washing machine hose several times a year for cracks or leaks. Replace them at least every 5 years depending on the type of hose.
- Sump pumps unchecked: most of the year we don’t need our sump pumps in San Diego. But when we do, they better be working. Don’t wait until you need it to figure out it’s not working. Check your pump several times a year.
Already dealing with a flood? Call us today for a free estimate! Not dealing with a flood? Good for you! But keep our number on your 24/7 emergency list, in case one day you need us in a hurry.
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