Property damage prevention begins at home!
Unfortunately, a lot of Philadelphia area homeowners don’t know what to look for. And when they do see something that looks wrong, they might not know what to do.
Take a good look at the picture below.
And then see if you can identify all 8 possibilities for prevention!
As you’ve probably guessed, this picture was taken in a home basement, right outside Philadelphia, in Croydon, PA. Look closely. Many homeowners might not see anything wrong with this picture.
But you’re smarter than that! Go ahead, test your property damage prevention knowledge. And then look below to see how many you guessed correctly.
1. Using the accordion-style dryer vent is sooo ’80’s … and it’s a fire trap too!
The problem with this kind of vent is that it’s easily crushed. That means dust and lint get trapped in all those folds. It doesn’t take much after that to ignite a fire. Replace this with straight semi-rigid metal ducting right away to prevent a dryer fire!
2. Old rubber supply hoses are the worst because they burst!
And usually in the middle of the night or when you’re at work. Replace this with the metal braided supply hoses right away! The metal braided supply hoses still need inspecting and replacing every few years, but they don’t burst as often as the rubber ones do.
3. Uh oh, a non-GFCI outlet on the wall near a pipe.
GFCI stands for Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter. It’s an outlet that can prevent electrical shock and fires in a home’s wet locations like bathrooms, kitchens and basements. Time to replace this regular outlet with a GFCI outlet right away because it’s close to a source of water!
4. That looks like a substance that might be mold!
Of course, we can’t know for sure unless we get it tested. But, it’s time to find the moisture problem that’s causing it. If it’s not a leak from a hose or a pipe, it’s probably basement humidity. If that’s the case, it’s time to install a self-draining dehumidifier. After that, it’s time to clean the mold.
5. What the heck is that?
It looks like a checkered flag from the race track. But, it definitely doesn’t belong up there. It’s too close to those wires and could start a fire. And, if it’s covering a window, it might be allowing rain water to enter the basement, causing what looks like mold in problem #4.
6. Uh oh! This is a water damage emergency waiting to happen!
Connecting your washing machine directly to the faucet can cause “hammer pipe.” Hammer pipe happens when water pressure starts and stops suddenly, like when your washing machine fills. Beyond being simply annoying, over time, hammer pipe places extreme stress on plumbing. So, when you’re out at the hardware store getting the metal braided supply hoses to replace those old rubber ones, look into getting “thread water hammer absorbers.”
7. Don’t look now, but this could be one of the causes of what looks like mold in #4. . . Leaking drain pipes.
Drain pipes need to be inspected for clogs and overflows and repaired fast to prevent water damage from backups and mold growth.
8. Un-insulated pipes in a basement near a window is a frozen and burst pipe emergency waiting to happen!
For just a few dollars and in only a few minutes you can save yourself thousands in water damage restoration and repair by purchasing and installing pipe insulation today.
So how’d you do?
Do the simple solutions make sense to you?
Most of them are so easy and inexpensive just about anybody can do them.