How to Find and Prevent Water Leaks in Your Home

As a homeowner, you’ve got a lot to think about when it comes to protecting your dreams — maintenance, family safety, bills to name a few. You may want to add preventing water damage to that list. From a burst pipe to an overflowing sink or dripping dishwasher, water leaks can happen in many places inside your home.

If you’ve got a leaky basement, you’re probably also aware that water can flow down there from outside your home. By clearly seeing all the various ways that water can make its way into your home, you’ll know what you need to do when you find?water in your basement. Take a look at these key tips to help prevent water damage and keep your home dry.

What Causes Water Leaks?

Water leaks can occur from a number of sources both in and outside of your home. Understanding the cause of water leaks can help you be prepared for the unexpected.?By?carefully inspecting your home’s plumbing?and adjusting the runoff grade around your home, there’s a lot you can do to help keep your home watertight.

Clogged drains and gutters

Trapped water in your gutters can cause the wood fascia boards your gutters are mounted on to rot, allowing moisture to enter your house. Additionally, the clogged debris in your gutters can cause water to sit on top of your roof that could lead to roof leakage.?Although you might only consider gutter cleaning necessary once or twice a year, your home can really benefit from a?monthly gutter cleaning.?By doing so, you can avoid water running over the gutters and pooling next to your foundation.

Rain runoff near foundation

Rainwater can pool and saturate the soil near your foundation and could leak through holes or cracks.?Keep rainwater flowing away from your home with downspout extensions. Doing so can help water from?infiltrating through foundation cracks?and getting into your basement.

Sump pump damage

A blocked drain hose or inlet screen on your sump pump can prevent it from working properly and could lead to a basement flood.?A key way to prevent expensive water damage is to be sure that your?sump pump is operating correctly. Mark your calendar and inspect your sump pump.

Plumbing lines

Broken seals, corrosion and loose water connections in the plumbing can cause water leaks.?By checking in frequently with?your home’s plumbing lines, you’ll be better able to locate water leak issues as they surface. Many times, the key to preventing water damage is to catch it early where a nominal repair can save from a major expense.

Damaged roof

Broken or missing shingles, cracked flashing and damaged vent booting are all common culprits that can cause your home’s roof to leak.?One way that big water damage issues occur to homes is through the roof. By monitoring and replacing the components of your roof, you’ll help to?prevent water damage to your roof that can sometimes go unnoticed. Another key way to keep your roof healthy is to?manage ice dams?by preventing ice buildup during the winter months.

Untamed vegetation and soil

It’s important to look for any roots from trees or plants that could wrap themselves around your exterior pipes causing damage. To prevent water from pooling near your home’s foundation and leaking in, ramp the soil down and away from the house to help with runoff.

Broken appliances

Home appliances keep your home humming along — they’re also the leading cause of in-home water damage. Check and maintain your appliances regularly, especially washing machines and refrigerators.

Pick up Hidden Water Damage coverage

Water can sneak up and cause expensive damage to your home, but here’s the good news: you can be protected. Our?Hidden Water Damage coverage?is designed to help you when you need it most. Hidden damage from water leaks can bloom mold, mildew and rot wood in the floors, ceilings and walls. This key coverage can really help to protect your savings.

What Smart Home Systems Help Prevent Water Leaks?

It seems almost every day new products and technology are introduced that help us manage our homes. Two useful systems are?smart water shutoff valves?and smart leak detectors, which can stop water leaks in the home. In addition to being great tech, we reward smart behavior, here at American Family Insurance.

You may qualify for a?smart home discount?with the installation of a qualifying system and monitoring program. Check in with?our team and learn about how we not only help prevent water damage, they can also help save you money.

Install a smart water main shutoff valve

Did you know that your home is five times more likely to suffer water damage than it is a break-in? Have a plumber help your home go high tech and?get a web-enabled smart home?shutoff valve installed into your water line after it enters your home.

With it, you’ll be notified when the sensor in the app sends you an alert if unexpected flow occurs while you’re away. You can halt waterflow — and potentially prevent catastrophic water damage — if a?pipe should freeze?and burst while you’re away. They’re also capable of detecting microleaks, or pinhole drips, that hide between the walls.

Install smart water sensors

These devices?sense water leaks?before they get out of hand. You’ll get a heads-up if something’s amiss with your kitchen sink, washing machine, refrigerator, water heater, dishwasher, toilet, etc.

Household Water Leak FAQs

If you’ve got questions about water leaks in your home, we’ve got answers for you!

Navigating water issues in your home may not be easy, but you don’t have to go it alone. Work with?us?to get your home covered correctly — before you need it. You’ll find real peace of mind knowing that your home’s insured carefully through an insurance company you know and trust. Call us at (480) 951-5056 and ask about our free hedge system which includes water leak sensors.