Risk & Business Magazine Gifford Associates Spring 2017 | Page 29

TIPS FOR A DRY HOME Tips For A Dry Home “T here’s a storm a coming ...” Here are a few tips for keeping your property dry. Water. It is essential for the survival of every living thing on Earth. And yet, it can also be so destructive. With changes in weather patterns, we have seen news from one corner of the planet to the other showing how destructive water can be. Floods, tsunamis, unprecedented rainfall. And the water that breaks out of our plumbing can be just as destructive. Every home or business owner knows that when water escapes or enters into his or her property, the results can be devastating. As we enter into that time of year when Spring rains fall and eaves troughs go about directing rainwater and melting snow from roofs and foundations, here are a few tips on how to reduce the possibility of water damage to your property, from outside or from within. CHOOSING THE RIGHT APPLIANCE HOSE A broken washing machine hose can produce up to 20 litres of water per minute. There are two options when it comes to appliance hoses: rubber or stainless steel, braid-reinforced hoses. The choice is clear. As they deteriorate over time, replace rubber hoses with stainless steel braided hoses. Stainless steel hoses are up to 10 times less likely to burst! Their design allows them to be installed in tight spaces without kinking, which can also cause rubber hoses to fail faster. Faucet supply, toilet supply, washing machine, and dishwasher hoses all should be of this type. PREVENT WATER FROM ENTERING YOUR HOUSE Eaves troughs direct rainwater and melting snow away from your foundation and exterior walls. To keep eaves troughs functioning properly, keep them clear of leaves and debris. Keeping them clean will also prevent water from accumulating and causing warping and bending. When landscaping a yard, remember function is as important as form. Ensuring the yard is properly graded to direct water away from the house will prevent water from entering it, provided that there are adequate moisture barriers and weeping tiles installed on the foundation and around the footings. Water always chooses the path of least resistance. During a heavy storm, the ground can become saturated and the water will need somewhere to go. If a yard slopes away from the house, gravity will do its job and move the water away. The next time there is a storm, take a walk around your yard and look for accumulated puddles near the foundation of your home. If water is not moving away from the house, it could be moving into the house. GOING AWAY? There is a story of a family that went away on a vacation. When they returned after two weeks at the cottage, they opened their front door to find water seeping over the threshold. Their dishwasher hose (rubber) gave way and began to release water for the entire duration of the vacation. When the family surveyed the damage, the water had actually filled their entire basement and was flowing over the main level floor. That sort of damage could have been prevented by simply turning off the water at the main valve and draining the pipes (by opening taps and flushing the toilets after shutting off the water) to prevent them from bursting. Also by replacing that rubber hose with one reinforced with braided stainless steel. During the winter, keep the furnace at a reasonable temperature and leave cupboards that are under sinks open to allow warm air to circulate around the pipes. This will prevent any water still in the pipes from freezing. OTHER TIPS Polybutylene (also called “Poly B” or “PB”) plumbing should be inspected and replaced, if necessary. Sump pumps should be checked annually to ensure they are operating properly. Consider replacing them every three years. Having a backup sump pump makes sense too, especially when a pump is called to work on a frequent or regular basis. And perhaps give consideration to investing in a water alarm. This can be a complex, centrally monitored alarm system or a simple battery-operated unit to alert you if there is a water problem. Finally, the importance of having a backflow prevention valve installed at the exit point of the main sewer of a home cannot be understated. It is bad enough having unwanted water come into your home. A sewer back up is horrific! And that can happen when too much rain overloads the sewers and the only direction for the rain to go is back into the houses on the street where you live. + 29