How to Protect Your Home from Spring Thaw Flooding

3/7/2019 (Permalink)

Protect your home from Flooding

Winter is coming to an end. Time to get outside and throw away those cold-weather blues! But unfortunately for homeowners, it’s not all fun in the sun. Especially with all the rain in Southern California!

The arrival of spring has brought heavy rains and rapid snowmelt, and together they pose the risk of sudden and severe flooding. Even if you live somewhere warm – like San Bernardino County – the snow melting off of nearby mountains can raise local water levels. And we’re not just talking about rivers dramatically spilling over their banks: pooling water and elevated groundwater levels are enough to damage your lawn or flood your basement.

As a homeowner, early spring is the ideal time to take protective measures against flooding. Here are a few quick and simple steps you can take today that will save you a real headache down the road.

Inspect Your Drainage System

Most homes are built with water drainage in mind, and feature ways to route that excess water away from your foundation. These often include outdoor flood drains, but may also include indoor drains (especially in the garage, mudroom, or any other area where water is likely to enter).

Drainage systems are great, but they run the risk of clogging up with leaves, twigs, and other debris. If that happens, the water will have nowhere to go and will just backup right onto your property. Take a few minutes to visit the drainage sites around your home and ensure that they still allow water to flow freely through. If not, see if you can clear the blockage yourself, or call in a professional for assistance.

Clean Out Your Gutters

Similarly, the gutters and downspouts lining your roof are an important part of your home’s drainage system. Their goal is to catch rainwater and route it away from your home. And of course, they’re quite prone to clogging – especially after the autumn and winter months, when leaves and twigs fall from nearby trees en masse. If that happens, rainwater will just pool alongside your home and is likely to penetrate the foundation.

Cleaning your gutters and downspouts may be a relatively easy (though dirty) task, or quite the hassle. It really depends on your home’s height, how easy it is for you to access the roof, the shape of the building, and other factors. Either way, it’s well worth doing at least once or twice per year, so call in the home-cleaning service professionals for assistance.

Install a Water Alarm

Not everybody knows that water alarms (also called flood sensors) exist, but as water damage restoration professionals, we’d recommend them to just about every homeowner. These little devices work similarly to a fire alarm, in that they will alert you immediately to the presence of water and give you a chance of containing the damage before it spirals out of control. Install one in your basement and in any other subterranean rooms – water alarms typically start at only $10-$15 each, and have the potential to save you thousands of dollars down the road.

For flood damage restoration and other home/commercial services, SERVPRO of Fontana is the name you can trust. Call us today at (909) 357-4337, and let us know how we can help.