Watch out! Ready! Prepare! – How to prevent flooding?
Of course, if we are planning a longer trip, we need to pay attention to many things. Staying away from our home does not mean that we can leave our home completely alone for that time. Of course, if we ask them to, our neighbor or acquaintance can also do tasks such as taking care of our plants or pets. At the same time, we need to prepare our home to prevent possible accidents or damage to our home.
What should we do in case of a longer absence?
One such problem is water damage. It often happens that water floods our home while we are away. However, this can be annoying not only for us, as it can also cause unpleasant moments for those living in the same house. The damage caused by water flooding, as well as the possible blockage and the costs of eliminating it will also have a significant impact on our wallets. It is therefore worth preparing so that we can leave our homes with peace of mind even for a longer period of time.
Let's examine the taps!
Let's start by checking the taps. It goes without saying that before looking for faults, we should check whether all taps are closed. Not only because dripping taps are a common cause of flooding, but also because the water that has leaked over the days will cost us serious money. It is therefore advisable to eliminate such problems as soon as possible, as this way we can avoid unnecessary disputes with the service provider (e.g. water utilities).
However, if you cannot close the tap properly by hand or even with pliers, you should not delay disassembling it. It is also true that the reasons for the dripping of the device can be very diverse. For example, it is possible that you only need to clean the disassembled tap from limescale or rust, but it is possible that individual components (e.g. the sealing ring) will need to be completely replaced.
Don't forget to check the insulation!
Once we have made sure that the taps are drip-free, the so-called „wet” rooms – i.e. the kitchen, the bathroom, the toilet, etc. – we also need to check for proper insulation. Because of poorly grouted tiles, water in the bathroom can quickly flow to the person living below us.
Another common cause of flooding is that the insulation breaks or even fails completely. This can be a problem especially in apartment buildings or panel houses where people live in apartments above each other. Of course, the surest solution to prevent flooding is to close the cold and hot wall shut-off valves – also known as corner valves. This essentially cuts off the water supply to the entire apartment, meaning that we can definitely prevent water damage. Unfortunately, however, this solution cannot be used if people entering our home need to use water in any form during our absence. This can often happen: just think of the case if we have flowers in our apartment, or if we have left a pet in the apartment.
A cloak before the rain!
Many people don't think about it, but water can come not only from inside the apartment, but also from outside. This is especially true if we don't turn on the taps in our home much or at all due to our absence. Heavy rains can be a threat to our home, especially in summer and autumn. Water that enters through windows or through incomplete insulation will slowly but surely flood our home.
It is therefore essential to close all the windows, and if we are going to leave our home completely "unoccupied" for a few days, we should not even open them. If the precipitation falling from the sky finds any gaps, it will certainly find its way into our home, where it can cause serious damage.
However, if we live in an older home, we need to pay more attention to not only closing the doors and windows. Water can flow in through the incomplete insulation just as if we had left the windows wide open. It is true that - due to the lower permeability - this will usually not occur in such quantities that it will flood our home. However, we should pay attention to it, especially if there is a computer or any other high-voltage electrical device near the window. Water flowing under the equipment will cause a short circuit, which can even lead to tragedy when we try to turn it on when we get home and don't suspect anything.
This includes the fact that if you live in a house with a garden, you should definitely pay attention to examining the eaves. Dripping eaves will also damage the wall structure very effectively, as a result of which the eaves will leak. drain Rainwater will find its way into our homes much more easily.
More eyes, more sees!
Let's consider specialist challenge. It is true that in most cases, checking the above may be enough to keep your home safe from water damage during your absence. However, it is worth having an expert look at the irregularities in your home and ensure that they are eliminated. For example, in panel houses, leaks beyond the industrial wall can cause problems, especially in the toilet.
Although the pipes located beyond the industrial wall usually do not belong to the given apartment, but to the house, just think of how unpleasant it is for us and the flooded residents below them if the repairman cannot get into our apartment. If we are away for a longer period of time, then the joint representative can do nothing but get into the apartment with the help of a locksmith to fix the problems that have arisen. Of course, we are lucky in that the repair of any possible pipe burst will be the responsibility of the given cooperative, but this will not compensate us for the fact that they essentially „broke” into our home.
Let's insure wisely!
Of course, we also need to be prepared so that if trouble does occur, the flood will have the least impact on our wallets. Usually, water damage inside the apartment starts with a bill exceeding ten thousand forints – e.g. repainting the wall, etc. – not to mention the cases when we cause problems for other residents through our negligence. It is therefore advisable to review our home insurance. On the one hand, from the perspective that our contract is valid for the entire duration of the trip. On the other hand, let's see if we can also submit a claim in the event of water damage or flooding, about which we can get more detailed information from the contract terms and conditions – and by asking the insurance consultant who deals with us. If our insurance does not cover this type of damage, we should conclude a new contract with the given company as soon as possible, or if they cannot us If you want to insure against water damage, it is also worth considering switching service providers.
Finally, make sure that all of your financial obligations related to insurance have been settled on time, that is, that you have paid the due installments. Insurance companies usually offer several payment plans, and it is worth choosing annual repayment. This way, not only can you be sure that your obligation will be settled, but with many companies you can even get a discount on the annual insurance premium.
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