What To Do When Your House Floods
Floods can happen for several reasons, but in most cases, they occur due to extreme weather conditions. If your house or owned establishment gets flooded, expect it to be costly. This is not just in terms of money and time, but also the stress and inconvenience that floods can cause. It is impossible to flood-proof your property completely. The best thing that you should know is what to do when house floods and how to lessen the blow through preparation. Here are some tips to observe before, during, and after a flood.
What to Do When House Floods
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Flood Prevention
Here are some pointers that you may use to prevent a flood from entering your property:
- Doors
Install purposely-built flood doors or even temporary flood boards that you can immediately use when it starts to flood. Another solution is that you could also consider is to make sure that the threshold of your external doors is raised. - Walls and Floors
For buildings that are constructed out of bricks, raise the damp-proof courses then seal walls and floors with a waterproof membrane. This will prevent the entry of water rising from the ground. - Air Brick Covers
There are specially designed brick covers that you can easily place over ventilation bricks to prevent the entry of water during a flood. - Drains and Pipes
Prevent the backfilling of sewage pipes and drains by equipping them with non-return valves to the water inlet and outlet pipes.
Building Interior Protection
It is not a guarantee that you can completely flood-proof your house, that's for sure. Flood water will still get past your defenses despite your intensive preparation and flood prevention measures. Here are some things you can do to mitigate the damage that the flood may cause inside your property.
- Shelving
It is recommended that you put any irreplaceable and valuable items on a high-mounted area to reduce the risk of being damaged. - Home Entertainment Equipment
Along with your other electrical equipment, secure your audio-visual equipment such as your TV. You can do this by mounting them 1.5 meters above the floor level. - Skirting Boards/ Baseboards
You may also install skirting boards or water-resistant baseboards. If these are too pricey for you, then you could varnish them to protect the boards from damage. - Sump Pumps
Extract flood water by fitting a sump in your basement or under-floor void. - Interior Walls
You may use plasterboard or horizontal drywall and lime-based plaster instead of gypsum. Otherwise, you could also install a drainage system or cavity wall water management if you have cavity walls. With this, you can keep floodwater out using pumps or natural drainage. - Flooring
It is better to fit floor tiles rather than fitter carpets. This is because carpets always need to be replaced after a flood. The more convenient alternative is to use rugs on top of tiles so that you can roll them up and store in cases of a flood. - Windows and Doors
Prevent floodwater from damaging your doors and windows by installing waxed and synthetic doors and windows. If this is too much for you, then you can always go for the more practical alternative, which is to varnish the existing ones. - Bedroom and Kitchen
Instead of a porous material like the chipboard, opt for a water-resistant one. This includes materials such as solid wood, stainless steel, or plastic. If possible, use plinths to increase the ground clearance of your appliances like your refrigerator. - Electrical Protection
To be safe from any kind of electrical-related accidents, increase the height of wiring, controls, fuse boxes, and wall sockets. The recommended height is 1.5 meters above the floor level. Run the cables down the wall until the raised socket during the installation of any new electrical wires. This is to ensure that the cabling will not be affected in the event flood water infiltrates your home.
Reparation of Your Flooded Home
A flooded house usually entails subsequent problems such as a burst pipe or a malfunctioning appliance. Perhaps at this point, it is quite impossible to contact your insurance provider. If you can contact them, then you definitely should so you can file a claim. Now you ask yourself where in the world would you begin the repairs? Yes, it can be overwhelming.
The extent of the repairs is dependent on how much water entered your home. It also depends on how long it sat in there. It is essential to dry it out as early as possible. If you cannot contact any professional services, then you might have to clean up the whole mess on your own. This is not as difficult as you think. Think of it as a sort of general cleaning.
Mould might start forming within 24 hours if you do not immediately clean your house. They can be removed with a non-ammonia cleaner or even a 10% mixture of bleach. You have to clean enough to make sure that the molds will not form again. Also, check the subfloors for water damage. The hardwood flooring needs to be dried gradually to prevent any cracking or buckling. The bottom line is, you have to check every inch of your house to be sure.
Conclusion
These tips can help you assess what to do when house floods. It is not always a guarantee that floodwater will not be able to come in. However, any tip that helps in the mitigation of damage is worth keeping in mind. The measures you need to take will heavily rely on your budget and resources. Do your research to not waste any time and money for solutions that do not fit the kind of property you have. Get more tips on emergency plans.