Protect Your Property From Spring Water Damage

Spring brings warmer temperatures, and warmer temperatures mean melting snow.  Melting snow and spring showers on a just-thawed ground can create a recipe for disaster. Soggy, uneven ground can puddle and cause flooding.  Sometimes this run-off can seep into your property through leaks and cracks in the foundation causing damage to the building structure, furnishings, and facilitate the perfect environment for mold and mildew.  What steps can you take to help re-route the water and protect your property from water damage in Newburgh?  Here are some items to be aware of…

Ice Damming

Ice dams occur after a heavy snowfall when warm air in the attic causes the temperature of the roof to rise and the snow to melt.  As snowmelt runs down the roof, it refreezes when reaching the colder roof edge, forming a mound of ice.  Ice dams are those chunks of ice that form along the edges of your roof, and while frozen, they’re no more trouble than the icicles that hang down. But during the warmer parts of the day, water melting off the roof pools behind the ice.  With nowhere else for the water to go, it seeps back up under the shingles. Ice dams allow water from melting snow and ice to pool on the roof which will eventually leak into your home.  Sometimes water can find its way 5 to 10 ft. back up under the shingles. Eventually, it drips through the roof into the soffits, walls, and worst of all, onto your ceilings.  If you wish to remove snow from your roof, do so safely. After a heavy snowstorm, rake the snow off your roof line to prevent ice dams from forming, and remove icicles.  This will prevent ice dams from forming and water damage inside your home from happening.

Spring Runoff

Melting snow can seep into the soil next to your foundation, causing water damage to crawl spaces, basements, and corner joints where the wall meets the floor.  Grading the ground closest to your foundation can help prevent this from happening. Build up the soil in order to have at least a six-inch slope from the foundation to at least ten feet from the property to keep water from seeping into the foundation or basement.

Clogged Gutters

Clogged gutters can cause water to spill over the side, down the walls of your home and seep into the foundation. Make sure your gutters are free of debris to ensure proper water flow.  It is important to position downspouts away from your property.  Extenders can be used to ensure the water is directed 2 or 3 feet away from the foundation.  Your gutters are your first line of defense.  However, houses without gutters often have leakage problems caused by water splashing against the foundation. Digging a trench, lined with thick plastic or pipe can be used to divert the runoff from the roofline.  Covering the area with landscaping materials or stones will prevent debris from blocking the flow of water.

Water that has seeped into your home through any of these scenarios cause a perfect habitat for mold growth.  Mold is known to cause health problems if not taken care of properly by certified mold remediation specialists.  By finding water damage quickly you can prevent unnecessary damage.  If you are in the Newburgh area, Hudson Valley Contracting-DKI is on call 24 hours a day for your water damage disaster.