Heavy spring rains could cause flooding in your basement.
Are you prepared for a rainy spring season that could cause flooding in your basement? Now is a great time to do an inspection of your home to ensure that the following items are in good order to prevent water damage in your home.
- Make sure your sump pump is in good working order by pouring a bucket of water into it to make sure it comes on. It’s also a good idea to add a back up battery to it if you don’t have one already.
- Inspect your foundation for cracks that may need to be repaired, as water can easily make its way into your home through the smallest of cracks.
- If you have egress window wells make sure all leaves or debris are not covering the drain in the bottom of the window well. In times of heavy rains, water can quickly build up and enter through the window if the drain is clogged and may not be covered by your insurance policy.
- Check to make sure you’re landscaping, and drainpipes are designed to drain water out and away from your foundation to prevent pooling of water around your foundation which can easily make its way into your basement.
- Remove all leaves and debris from your gutters or water will build up and eventually cascade like a water fall from your gutters and begin to pool around your home.
Once you have completed a thorough inspection of your home, now you need to look at your insurance policy or make a phone call to your insurance agent to make sure you have adequate coverage in the event of a water mishap.
- Make sure you have a sump pump rider on your policy to ensure you have coverage in the event your sump pump fails to work.
- You may need a separate drain back up rider on your policy as well.
- Do you have adequate coverage for a newly finished basement as repair costs can add up quickly in the event your basement floods and major repairs need to be done.
- Do you have adequate content coverage for furniture and other home items that could be damaged during a major water damage event.
- Sewage backups can be expensive and can negatively affect contents so it’s a good idea to make sure you have this coverage as well.
We want to note here that we are not licensed insurance professionals but in our line of work we have seen instances where homeowners were not properly insured like they thought they were and had to pay out of pocket for water damage mitigation and repairs which can quickly add up to thousands of dollars. A quick phone call or meeting with your insurance agent can give you a piece of mind that you are properly covered for a catastrophic water or fire event and taking the time to inspect your home can save you a lot of time, heartache, and money! If you experience water or fire damage you can trust the Sage Team to make the recovery process easy and fast!
