These Home Damages are Preventable - Find Out How

Roof Damage

From the trees on your property to wind, rain, and sun, it’s like your roof is constantly under attack. And while you can’t change the weather, you can take some precautions to avoid major roof problems.

The first priority should be a regular roof inspection to look for any signs of potential problems. You’re looking for damaged, sagging, or missing shingles along with algae growth and insect or animal activity. If you see any of these problems, it’s best to call in a roofing specialist or pest control pro right away.

You should also assess the trees around your home for branches that could fall on your roof during a storm, and have them removed. It’s also a good time to use a rake or telescoping pole to remove any leaves, sticks, and small limbs that have already landed on your roof because even the little stuff can be a hazard. Left sitting, debris can trap water, encourage algae growth and cause shingle damage. Then, take your inspection inside and check the attic for leaking light or liquid.

Speaking of debris, one of the most effective ways you can prevent roof damage is by keeping your gutters clean and clog-free. When leaves, twigs, seeds, and other debris pile up and clog your gutters it can cause water to leak into your rook, fascia, soffits, and eventually into your walls and ceilings. You can take on the dirty job of gutter cleaning yourself, hire a pro to clean them or you can invest in gutter protection that blocks debris completely.

Foundation Damage

Just like your roof, there are a lot of threats to your home’s foundation. Improperly watered trees can soak up all the water in the ground causing the soil to recede from your foundation. Plumbing leaks can also erode foundation soil over time.

But one of the biggest causes of foundation problems is improper drainage related to your roof and gutters. If you don’t have gutters, roof water run-off can pool on the ground near the foundation. If you do have a gutter system to divert water away from your home, it requires maintenance to remain effective. Improperly angled downspouts or gutter and downspout clogs interrupt water diversion, sending it right down to, you guessed it, your foundation.

Some of these issues can be prevented with a little bit of work. For starters, make sure the soil around your home is properly hydrated, including the trees and plants that may be sharing groundwater with your foundation. A little light landscaping can also help if you create a gentle slope away from your home to keep water from collecting near the foundation. Finally, make sure you keep gutters clean and free of clogs with either routine cleaning or a gutter guard that prevents clogs from forming.

Basement Flooding

While some people have it a lot worse than others based on where they live, almost everyone has to think about basement flooding at some point. Whether it’s a particularly rainy summer or a local increase in groundwater, flooding can happen any time.

Flooding can come from seepage or water can flow through the walls, the foundation floor, or by a sanitary or storm sewer backup. It can also be the result of surface water sources. If either the groundwater level or sewer level around your home rises above the basement floor, that water can enter your basement through any cracks.

Even though your roof is about as far from your basement as it gets, water coming off your roof can ultimately lead to a flooded basement. If the water falls directly to the base of your home it can seep into your basement, so once again, any problems that prevent gutters from carrying water safely away from the house can be the culprit behind a flooded basement.

Basement flooding prevention has a lot of overlap with protecting your foundation. Sloped landscaping and proper gutter maintenance can make a huge difference, but you’ll also want to do regular sewer and septic inspections, repair foundation cracks, and install window well covers.

Mold Growth

Mold is a particularly insidious threat to homes. It creeps in and hides, often without you knowing, spreading and becoming a great big problem. But whenever a mold issue arises, water is to blame.

Anytime water gets someplace it doesn’t belong and can’t dry, mold can grow. Some of the main sources of mold come from roof leaks, leaky plumbing, basement flooding, water damage to windows and doors, persistent humidity, foundation dampness, and even moisture in floors and under carpets. Simply put, mold can grow just about anywhere for any number of reasons.

Most of the ways you can prevent mold involve homeowner diligence. It helps to moderate humidity in your home using an AC or humidifier. Repair plumbing or roof leaks as quickly as possible, have air ducts cleaned and inspected, and eliminate outdoor sources of standing water. Gutter cleaning and gutter protection can also help prevent water seepage into your home where mold can grow. Gutter guards can also help inhibit mold growth in your gutters themselves.

LeafFilter is One Solution for Multiple Problems

A running theme for all of these issues is that many of the problems that can develop inside your home, start outside your home, particularly around your roof and gutters. While the idea of gutter protection has come up a few times, it’s worth emphasizing that gutter guards can be an incredibly useful way to help homeowners avoid damages by stopping many water-related problems.

LeafFilter installs easily on top of existing gutters to block debris accumulation, eliminate clogs and ensure that water is carried safely away from your home. This process helps prevent damages to your roof, foundation, basement, and inhibits mold growth inside and outside of your home. Even if you don’t wind up buying LeafFilter it’s still worthwhile to schedule a free estimate to find out how many of your problems could be solved, by a protected gutter system.