Five Common Problems That Lead to Flooding

Homeowners are constantly under the threat of flooding, particularly here in Florida where Mother Nature can often throw her worst at us. While most people usually think of hurricanes, tropical storms, and other heavy rainfall as the most common causes of flooding, most people actually forget about some of the most common causes for household flood problems. In fact, with some knowledge of the issues and extra precautionary measures, you can provide your home with a much greater level of protection. Let’s take a look at five surprisingly common causes of flooding and learn how to defend against them.

Full Tanks & Clogged Pipes

If your home is a lot like a human body, then your plumbing system is like the veins and arteries, carrying much needed water to where it is needed and waste away to where it can be disposed of. Like your arteries, over time your plumbing can clog up and become blocked if you aren’t careful what you put down your drains, and a plugged up drain pipe can lead to serious damage and lots of headaches.

If you find your drains are blocked or moving slowly, you may be experiencing one of a couple of problems: a clog somewhere in your drain pipes or your septic tank might be full (if you have one). You may wish to call a plumber to have this inspected as soon as possible because a blocked drain line can lead to water overflow and damage to your home. Not to mention water stopped by a blockage puts pressure on your pipes and could lead to a burst in one of your walls, causing even more devastating damage. Keep an eye on your drains: if they’re running slowly, don’t take the risk: get it fixed quickly.

Debris-Filled Rain Gutters

Your roof has gutters installed on the eaves to try to collect water. While it may seem fairly mundane, these gutters actually have a huge job: direct water to a drain pipe where it can be carried away to a sewer or storm drain system. Without this feature, water would simply fall off your roof and land on the ground near your home, where it could slowly start to penetrate into your home’s foundation and do horrendous damage. If you have a basement, foundations often become waterlogged, leading to flood damage. If you don’t, a wet foundation often leads to instability and slipping, causing major structural damage to your home. Want to avoid this problem? Clean out your gutters each summer.

Leaking Water Heater

Water heaters are an integral part of our livelihood, but over time they eventually wear out, break, and spring leaks. If you have a traditional tank-style water heater, the water will eventually slowly wear out the tank lining, leading to what starts as a small leak, but one which could eventually grow to a big issue, or worse: a full-fledged burst which can deal major damage to your home. There’s not much of a way to predict this, but as your water heater gets older, a leak or other issue will become more and more likely. If you notice that your water heater is struggling to keep up with your daily demands, then you might wish to consider getting a replacement. This will also help ensure your home isn’t damaged by a leaky water heater.

Clogged Drains

A slow drain may be an annoyance to some, but to young children or elderly people who run the tap and then forget to turn it off, a clogged drain can quickly cause a slow waterfall that creates a gushing river throughout your home. Fortunately, it’s not too difficult to fix a clogged or slowly-draining sink, shower, or bathtub: usually a simple plumbing auger or snake and a few minutes’ worth of elbow grease can get the problem resolved and you drain running smoothly again. However, it’s strongly advised that you avoid using a chemical drain cleaner—while these might make the process easier, they also damage your pipes and actually place you at even more of a risk of a potential leak or pipe burst due to the increased corrosion these substances can cause.

Defective Washing Machine Hoses

Water has to get from your pipes into your washing machine somehow, and it does so using small, flexible pipes that run from your washer fixtures in the walls to the machine itself. These hoses are small, inexpensive, and durable, but over time can eventually corrode, harden, and leak. What’s worse is a leaky hose can be difficult to detect until it’s too late: the area behind your washing machine has been damp for some time causing serious mold growth, the water has seeped into the floor, damaging it and the ceiling in the floor below, and now you’re dealing with a running river in your laundry room. While most of these leaks are small, hoses can burst and flood nearly your entire home within just a few short hours. If you still have rubber hoses behind your washer, switch them out for a braided hose which is far less corrosion-resistant and will last for many years longer. You should also consider installing a washing machine valve shutoff kit, making it possible for you to quickly stop floods and leaks as soon as you detect a major problem.