Hey Everyone, hope you are all staying warm and dry. Nature has a wonderful ability to impress, mesmerise and captivate our interest – but also cause a lot of destruction! Following the downpour, it is good to consult a local building inspector to get your house checked for any hidden leaks that may be hiding behind the walls. The reality is that all houses will leak if routine maintenance is not done properly, particularly where different materials ‘join’ together, these are commonly windows, doors, roofs, penetration junctions, gutters, etc. So here are a few things you should consider.
- Gutters - make sure gutters haven’t sagged and clear of any debris and blockages. If you see any pooling or blockage, make sure you clear this quickly to avoid any overflow seeping into the property.
- Leaks – This is one you need to be a lot more proactive about, by the time you see the leak inside, it can be a little late. Pop up into your roof and look for wet patches / staining. Other signs to look for inside, are bulged skirting, gib, ceiling tiles becoming loose, window framing separating and staining on the ceiling. Over time you can also see mould appearing on the ceiling.
- Smell - If you house smells damp and musty, it may not just be damp people or laundry, but moisture trapped in your walls. If you notice anything try eliminate things that could be causing the smell and if the smell lingers then it may be worth investigating further.
- Drains - check all your drains are working properly. In heavy downpour a lot of leaves and debris can gather up and greatly reduce the drain's ability to function. Pop them open and scoop out any debris you can see. Also check any council drains near your property as they can become blocked and water can flood down to your property if you live below the drain.
If you find yourself dealing with a leak or flooding, contact your insurance company ASAP. They will advise you on next steps and hopefully be able to send someone in for do a quick fix. If they are unreachable, take steps to minimise where it is coming from, waterproofing tape is a great start (if you don’t have any handy, duct tape can suffice for now). Following that, keeping the house as dry as possible is the priority. Easiest way is to heat up the property as close to 30 degrees as you can, this will draw out moisture from materials – while this is happening have a process to dehumidify the moisture. A dry home is a healthy home!
Hope you all stay warm and dry out there!