Whether it’s from rain, a blocked drain, the outdoors, or an outage, water backup can come seemingly out of nowhere. When it does, it’s not just an inconvenience… it can be an expensive home repair. Luckily, staying proactive and on top of issues can prevent water backup before it happens. Not sure where to begin? See our five easy tips to start preventing water backup:
- Flush fewer paper products. Heavy paper products like paper towels, feminine products, large amounts of toilet paper, and cloth diapers take a long time to break down. When your regularly flush these, they can clog drains and lead to expensive repairs.
- Get rid of grease safely. When you cook items that produce excess grease, how do you dispose of it? To start, never pour it down your drain. When the grease solidifies, it can cause blockages that lead to backups later on. Instead, pour or scrape grease into a heat-resistant jar, allow it to cool, and throw the sealed container in the trash.
- Investigate tree roots. Cracked or aging pipes are no match for growing tree roots. Large trees in your yard can puncture, impede, or completely block water flow … leading to a backup of water in your home or yard. But before it happens, you can get to the root of the problem by hiring a professional. They’ll run a camera through pipelines and recommend necessary maintenance like upgrading to plastic pipes or tending to the trees.
- Direct water away from the foundation. Each season, check to ensure gutters are cleared of debris, downspouts are pointing away from the house, and water isn’t pooling up too close to the foundation.
- Back up your sump pump. Power outages can lead to sump pump failures. And, consequently, water backups. Be proactive by getting a battery backup or water-powered backup which will keep the pump running even if your lights go out. Also, mark your calendar for routine sump pump inspection/maintenance.
Water backup insurance is an option that can be added on to most homeowners policies. Without it, you could be stuck covering costly repairs. Talk to one of our independent agents to learn more about water backup coverage, to ensure coverage limits are adequate on your current policy, or to pick up the endorsement today.