Prevent Heavy Rain Damage on Your Home

Heavy rain can cause some of the costliest damage to your home. In the worst cases, it can do devastating damage to your foundation and encourage mold growth inside your walls. But with proper maintenance, you can prevent heavy rain from doing damage to your home. Let’s look at some easy ways to keep your home protected against heavy rain.

Make sure your gutters allow for good drainage

One of the easiest ways to protect your home against heavy rain starts with your gutters. By simply making sure that your gutters aren’t clogged and are aimed away from your home’s foundation, you take a big step toward preventing heavy rain from damaging your foundation and encouraging mold growth.

As the weather warms, consider using our instructions on how to maintain your home’s gutters. Maintaining your gutters is a proven way to protect your home against heavy rain.

If you have trees, keep them trimmed

Keeping your trees trimmed is another fairly easy way to protect your home against heavy rain. Tree branches, leaves, and buds can be a real problem when combined with heavy rain and wind. In addition to regular shedding and clogging gutters, heavy rain and wind can allow branches and even entire trees to cause damage to your roof.

Check your roof for shingle damage and loose flashing

Getting up on your roof can be challenging. But if you can get yourself up there, you can check for several signs of damage that heavy rain can make worse.

First, check for shingle damage. There are three specific kinds of damage you should look for.

1. Missing or cracked shingles. When you’re missing shingles or you notice that they’re cracked, that’s a sign of potential heavy rain damage in the future.

2. Moss on your shingles. Moss on your shingles can cause dry rot or rust. When combined with heavy rain, this can cause serious damage to your roof. If you notice moss, take a soft-bristle brush and gently scrub it off.

3. Black grit in your gutters. If you see lots of black grit in your gutters (e.g., several inches deep in the gutter), it’s a sign that your shingles are deteriorating. You may need a professional in this case.

Once you’ve checked for shingle damage, check your roof’s flashing. Your flashing is a thin, usually metal material that prevents water from entering openings and cracks in the roof. You’ll likely see it where your roof and outer walls meet.

If your flashing is loose or looks to be coming away from the outer wall, it could cause roof leaks. Fortunately, you may be able to fix this issue. Using outdoor caulk or a waterproof tape like Flex Tape, simply seal off loose spots.

Check your chimney and sump pump annually

Your home’s chimney and sump pump can be susceptible to heavy rain damage. Make sure you check your sump pump at least once a year to assure that it’s working properly, preferably though a professional. This is especially important if you live in areas prone to hurricanes or torrential downpours.

In addition, check your chimney for gaps and cracks. Consider installing a chimney cap prior to the stormy season to prevent rainwater from coming in at all. If possible, waterproof your bricks to ensure that moisture doesn’t seep through them, which can encourage mold.

If heavy rain does damage, be aware of potential health hazards

If your home suffers from water damage caused by heavy rain, it’s important to hire a water-damage-restoration company as soon as possible. Moisture promotes the growth of mold and other dangerous organisms, especially in already-damp climates, which increases the risk for serious health problems. Exposure to these types of water-related growths can also aggravate symptoms for allergy and asthma sufferers and may compound these problems in children, the elderly, and people with poor immune systems.

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