Water inside your home is never a good thing! Excess water and floods can destroy all sorts of things in your house, from the foundation to your furniture to those precious items you keep in your closets or under your bed. As such, homeowners should be diligent about their drainage solutions and should always be sure to maintain those things that keep water on the outside where it should be, like your gutters and downspouts.
Here are 10 tips for keeping your home flood and water free:
- Inspect and clean your gutters a few times a year and after storms or other weather events that could cause problems. A good time to schedule gutter maintenance checks with a professional is in the fall and before the spring. At those times, the gutter company can remove leaves and debris as well as check seams/connections and seal up any loose joints.
- Consider installing gutter guards. Guards that catch leaves and other debris can help keep your gutters working properly by preventing clogs and overflows. While installing them might cost a little extra, you’ll save money in the long run on maintenance and repairs.
- Extend your downspouts. This helps to move water further away from your home. You can do this on your own with supplies available at a home improvement store or can call on the professionals to do it for you. Either way, it’s simply another way to safeguard your home.
- Install a sump pump that can direct water away from your home and to a nearby storm drain instead. Sump pumps aren’t terribly expensive and installation by a plumber or other professional isn’t difficult.
- Consider a French drain. Like a sump pump, a French drain allows water to flow away from your home. This kind of drain is actually a trench filled with gravel or rock which contains a perforated pipe that redirects surface water and groundwater away from a particular area – in this case, your house.
- Improve your grading. The grounds around your house should, of course, slope away from your home so that water does not flow towards your house. If the slope is really causing a problem, you may need an excavator to make major changes to it.
- Create a rain garden, which is a shallow depression that is shaped to fit your yard. It uses a special mix of sand and compost that allows water to soak in rapidly. They are designed to increase rain runoff re-absorption by the soil.
- Change your impermeable surfaces to something else. For example, if you have a ton of concrete pavers in your yard, you can consider removing them and replacing them with gravel or some sort of permeable paver that is more porous.
- Collect excess rainwater in vessels such as cisterns or rain barrels.
- Check for low spots around your home near the exterior walls. If you see spaces where water could gather, fill them in as soon as possible or have your landscaper address them.
At Advantage Gutters, we understand the problems that come with faulty drainage systems. That’s why we take the time to consult with you about your gutters and to recommend installation of a system that’s right for your needs. You can also take advantage of our maintenance program for your gutters so that they remain in good working condition throughout the year.
For more information about our products and services or to schedule a consultation with one of our pros, call us at 604-514-9886 or visit https://advantagegutters.ca