Water damage to your home is nothing to joke about. It’s the second most common homeowners insurance claim. This makes water damage one of the most costly forms of home damage.
As a homeowner, it’s important to know the types of water damage. If you ever need to call a restoration service, you’ll give them the best information for a successful restoration.
Read on to learn the primary types of water damage. This includes sewer backup, flood water, discharge, and overflow.
Sewer Backup
Sewer backup is one of the most harmful forms of water damage because it involves dirty water. Sewer water causes damage to your home, but also to your health.
One common cause of sewer backup is when tree roots invade the lines. When your lines fill with tree roots, there’s nowhere for the water to escape. This causes it to back up into your house.
Prevent tree roots from building up in your pipes. Have them checked by a professional with a special pipe camera every year, especially if your home is older.
Another culprit of sewer backup is old or broken pipes. The older your pipes, the more likely they are to have issues with blockages.
And older pipes become misaligned. Even a small misalignment in your sewer pipes can cause a backup.
If your plumbing is older, make sure you keep your eyes open for leaks and blockages. And have it checked if you see anything suspicious.
Flood Water
Flooding is usually caused by a natural disaster, like a hurricane or thunderstorm. And it affects more than just your home. Flood damage can be extremely destructive because of the high volume of water.
You can’t prevent a flood, but you can take steps to help keep water out of your house. The first thing you should do is keep your gutters clean. Dirty gutters mean rain pools around your home, increasing your risk of flood during a hard rain.
Check out your yard to see if water pools near your home. If you have any downslope toward your house, you need to get a landscape professional in to fix it.
If you have a basement, make sure your sump pump is in good working order. And if you can, try to barricade the windows and doors with sandbags before the flood waters get too high.
But always stay safe in a flood. Heed evacuation warnings and never enter floodwaters. Flood water is unhealthy and often carries a risk of electric shock.
Discharge and Overflows
Discharge happens when an appliance or pipe leaks into your home. For example, your washing machine overflows because its drainage pipe is clogged. This is a type of rapid water discharge or an overflow.
But discharge can also be slow. Another example is if a small crack in a pipe causes water to pool around it. Slow discharge is more common and often more destructive than rapid discharge.
The best way to avoid discharge and overflow is to stay alert. Keep an eye on your pipes and your appliances. Never let appliances go longer than the recommended timeframe between maintenance.
And if you see water leaking, get it fixed immediately. The sooner it’s fixed, the less water damage you’ll sustain.
Know Your Water Damage
If you know the type of water damage you’re dealing with, it helps your restoration expert. Why? Because they come up with a more accurate plan when they know the type and extent of the water damage.
Flood and sewer backups are more severe types of water damage because they deal with dirty, unsanitary water. But discharge and overflows are just as harmful if they go on for too long.
If you have issues with water damage, visit our website to learn what restoration services are available in your state. We are here to get your home back to normal!