The place you call home is somewhere you should always feel a sense of safety and comfort. You probably have an alarm system or locks in place to prevent others from coming to destroy that sense of safety, but disasters at home are often the result of natural causes, plumbing, electrical issues. There are practices that can be put in place to help prevent disasters from interrupting this fall, so come winter the only intrusion you will have is Santa coming down your chimney.
If you are planning a trip this fall there are things that can be done in order to make sure you don’t come home to any surprises. Water damage from undetected leaks can quickly ruin ceilings, floors, and walls with the potential of costing you thousands of dollars in repairs. While it isn’t super likely this will happen while you are on vacation it does happen, and can be easily prevented. Turn off your main water supply when you leave for vacation by locating your main shut off valve near the water meter and turn it clockwise to turn it off. While it may be tempting to just turn off your thermostat to save money on bills, be sure to keep it at 55 degrees and above to prevent frozen pipes. Lastly, make sure to unplug all electronics in order to prevent phantom power draw and surges.
As fall comes, along with colder weather and rain, this becomes the most common time for your sump pump to fail when the first heavy rain of the season hits. This can cause flooding, damage, and lots of money down the drain for repairs. Before the rain comes, you can pour a couple buckets of water into the sump to ensure it kicks on, if there is an issue repairs can be made in time for it to be needed, and save you money! While you are in the basement checking out your sump pump, it’s also a good idea to look at any cracks that are in your foundation. It is normal to have hairline cracks in a concrete foundation, but if they continue to widen and grow it could mean trouble is coming. Eventually, this will cause shifting and cracking in the walls above, tilt floors, and move windows and doors to make them unable to open and close. This happens over a very long period of time, but you can measure and keep track of the size of cracks every few months. If the cracks are widening there are solutions to repair. This will be a cost, but compared to what it could end up costing if left alone, it is definitely worth it!
Leaves may not be the only thing that falls from trees this time of year. It is also common to have dead branches and overhanging trees threatening to fall on your house. When a major storm hits, insurance companies get flooded with calls for incidents relating to damage from trees, but it can usually be prevented. You can fire a tree trimming service to get rid of any overhanging branches or dying trees that can potentially damage your home, or you can get out there and do it yourself!
Fall is a wonderful time of year, with friends, family, and fun while you gear up for the holiday season. Doing your yearly termite check by walking around your home inspection for tunnels and sawdust, may not be at the top of your to-do list. It is important to take the time to do that, as well as these other preventive measures at least once during the year. Fall is a great time to make sure everything is up to the standards it should be, so anything that may need help can be handled before the winter time hits. Make sure this year you are sipping cocoa watching holiday movies, instead of dealing with a preventable home disaster. With all this, accidents and disasters do happen. When they do, or if you need help preventing them Servpro is here to help. Give them a call or visit www.servpronsummitcounty.com.