CLEAN OUT GUTTERS AND REPAIR

Gutters are an important part of flood prevention. Gutters and downspouts have one goal: move excess water away from your home’s roof and siding and deposit it somewhere that won’t leak into your basement. Gutters need to be cleaned out twice a year, during fall and spring. Twigs, leaves, and blossoms can all fall into gutter lines and clog the gutters and downspouts. If your gutters aren’t cleaned out when a big spring rain comes and they flood, the excess water can leak into your roof, which can cause wood rot and result in thousands of dollars in repairs.  You can also purchase a mesh screen to put on the top of your gutters to mitigate clogs. While you are cleaning out your gutter, make sure there are no leaks, loose pipes or peeling paint on your gutters. If there are, it may be a good idea to call a gutter repair company.

As a homeowner, you should also ensure that your downspouts are draining away from your home and not puddling. Puddling water means there is a possibility of that water soaking into the ground around your home and flooding your basement. If you do notice puddles around your down spout’s end, you can try to reshape your yard in a downward slope. Check your gutters and downspouts by flowing them with water from a garden hose to make sure they’re prepared for spring rains.

TRIM TREES AND BRANCHES BEFORE STORMS

This maintenance goes hand in hand with cleaning out your gutters. Winter can be hard on trees and branches. Giving them a trim before any of the big spring rains hit can help them to grow and make sure broken and dying twigs and leaves don’t get caught in the gutters.

ENSURE WINDOWS, VENTS AND ROOF ARE NOT LEAKING

Before spring rains come crashing down on your roof, it’s a good idea to go up into your attic and make sure there are no signs of leaks. You can tell there are leaks in your roof if there are puddles, condensation or a mold/ mildew smell. If you do have leaks, and you have a home warranty plan that covers limited roof repair, it’s a good idea to call your home warranty company to see if they will cover the leak. If the leak is something that has been worn down from normal wear and tear, your home warranty company will repair and seal the leak for a $60 service call fee. If ruined or missing shingles causes the leak, it may be a good idea to call a roof repair company to patch these shingles. 

It’s also a good idea to check the caulking on your vents and windows to make sure there are no leaks to the inside of your home.

DOUBLE CHECK YOUR HOME INSURANCE HAS FLOOD AND SEWER COVERAGE

Homeowner protection plans like home insurance usually cover rain damage, which is rain that seeps into your home from the roof, windows, or doors, but it doesn’t cover flooding (water that comes into the home from the bottom up.) If you are worried about flooding, you can call your home insurance company to see if you can add coverage, or purchase coverage from another flood insurance company. Home insurance also limits coverage on your sewer backing up, which can happen if heavy rains move from the storm water system into the sewer. Call your home insurance company to see if there are any additions on sewer back up coverage to protect your home.

HOME WARRANTIES CAN HELP PROTECT YOUR HOME AND BUDGET

Get the rest of your home protected this spring with a home warranty. Home warranties protect your home and budget by covering systems and appliances that fail from wear and tear unexpectedly. Homeowners with a home warranty can get their failed systems and appliances repaired or replaced for a $60 service call fee. That means the thousands of dollars a homeowner may spend on a new air conditioner would only cost you $60 with a home warranty. For more information on how to protect your home from unexpected and expensive repairs, go towww.LandmarkHW.com.