Avoid Emergency Water Mitigation for Your Dunwoody Property with These Tips

Preparation Improves Water Mitigation Outcomes

Extreme weather and its effects on property and personal health and well-being are understandably in the back of homeowners' minds, especially during the tropical storm season in the southeastern United States. Proactive property owners in Dunwoody know water mitigation is vital to avoid primary and secondary damage to structures and contents. Consider practical tips from the restoration experts at AdvantaClean of Sandy Springs to prepare your home to limit initial damage from high winds, heavy rains, and flooding. Minimizing water invasion streamlines mitigation, remediation, and restoration interventions needed to recover from a storm-related storm crisis.

Timely Home Maintenance Limits Water Mitigation Needs

Preventive exterior and interior home maintenance limits storm damage, paving the way for quick and successful water mitigation and stopping damage in its tracks as early as possible. Performing regular maintenance and repairs can significantly limit stormwater from entering your home in the first place, reducing post-storm mitigation requirements.

• Inspect for and correct roofing issues, including loose shingles and flashings, before storm season. Reinspect after any wind or heavy rain, even if you notice no leaks—additional storms are always possible.

• Check for proper installation of gutters and downspouts, repairing and replacing components as needed. Ensure that all roof runoff directs to the drainage system and that the downspouts drain at least 5 or preferably 10 feet away from your foundation. Clear all leaves and debris from your gutters at least twice a year.

• Measure the ground's grade into your yard from next to your house, aiming for an angle of 2 to 5 percent, a decrease of 6 inches over 10 feet. If the slope is inadequate anywhere, take action to correct the grade overall. Imagine how water, following the path of least resistance, will find an opportunity to flow inside where the slope flattens or dips.

• Assess your basement or crawlspace, looking for weak spots where water seeped in previously. Consider either or both of the following remedies if water has found a way in before:

• Install drain tiles around your foundation, diverting moisture away.

• Put a sump system inside your lower level, maintaining and checking it frequently for proper operation.

Sensible Storage and Staging Protect Contents

Take a look at how and where you store documents, personal possessions, and appliances in your home. A dry basement or attic seems perfect until a severe storm transforms these spaces into wading pools or waterfalls. Change your storage and staging approaches permanently before a problem arises. You can never be sure when weather patterns will change, and water mitigation might be necessary.

• Raise appliances and systems (heating, cooling) in basements or lower levels on supports above typical flood levels.

• At a minimum, pack stored items in waterproof bins. If they must be in a basement or lower level, raise them on pallets or cover them with moisture-resistant tarps if they are in an attic.

• Off-site storage can be a good option if space is an issue. 

AdvantaClean of Sandy Springs offers feasible and constructive tips you can implement now to prepare your Dunwoody home for effective water mitigation strategies during and after future extreme storm events. Call our highly qualified and equipped team at (404) 474-8443 for both preparation advice and hands-on water mitigation help.