Infographic: 9 Water Damage Prevention Tips

We stumbled across this fantastic Infographic of water damage prevention tips provided by the Water Damage Defense company.
The information contained in it mirrors so many of the tips for homeowners we’ve discussed in several blog posts on our site.
We’re posting the infographic here because it’s a great summary of that information.
Why is this important?
Because the average cost of water damage to your Philadelphia area home is around $6,965.00 – depending on the type of damage and where the water came from.
So it’s worth your time to read through the infographic and implement some of the suggestions.

But, if you don’t have time to work your way through the whole thing, we’ve summarized the 9 water damage prevention tips for you here:

The best water damage prevention tips start with maintenance.

1. To prevent water damage from a burst water heater, have a plumber or other professional inspect and flush your water heater at least once a year.
2. Replace all the hoses on your appliances with metal braided hoses. Even the metal braided hoses can fail, so make sure to check them at least once a year.
3. This might sound funny, but stay in the bathroom until the toilet has finished filling. A lot of times slow leaks from the toilet can presage a major plumbing failure.
4. When a leak occurs or a pipe bursts, you need to be able turn off the water fast. Do you know where your water main shut off valve is? Now’s the time!
5. Got a sump pump? Maintain it yearly! Got a sump pump backup? Now’s the time to get one.
6. Pay attention to your plumbing system and look for signs of wear like moisture on the walls or floors.
7. Because many times before pipes rupture and plumbing fails there are warning signs, watch your water bill. If you notice unexpectedly high usage and your water bill peaks for no apparent reason you might have a leak somewhere.
8. Here’s a quick way to find out if there’s an undetected leak somewhere in your home: Read your water meter. Then use no water, wait for two hours and read it again.
If the reading isn’t the same, you have a leak somewhere.
9. To see if the leak is coming from your toilets check them by putting a drop of food coloring in the tank. If colored water ends up in the toilet bowl in 15 minutes or less without flushing, there’s probably a leak. (Make sure to flush the toilet a few times after you do this test to keep the food coloring from staining the bowl.)

Water Damage Defense is an online distributor of specialty water damage prevention equipment. Their goal is to equip homeowners to protect their home and property from the devastating effects of water damage. The Water Damage Defense website carries all manner of water leak detection and shutoff systems, including water powered sump pumps, primary sump pumps and battery backup sump pumps, and water barrier systems for you to use to protect your home.

Water damage can happen – even if you follow all these tips. If you need water damage restoration services in Philadelphia or South Jersey, we’re only a phone call away at 877-750-7876