Smart Ways To Protect Your Home From Rainwater Damage

Left unchallenged, rainwater can create all sorts of issues around your property, including damp, mold and even subsidence. That is why it’s vital you know the best ways to protect your home from rainwater damage.

Keep your gutters clear

The first thing you can do to protect your home from rainwater damage is to make sure all of your guttering remains clear.  This is crucially important because it stops raining water overflowing from your gutters and down the exterior walls of your home, which can cause all sorts of damage from watermarks to damp and mold.

Of course, because gutter clearing is a job that needs to be done at height, it’s easy to put off. Indeed, the risks associated with working at height often mean that homeowners do not clean their guttering half as much as they should. That’s where professional gutter cleaning companies come in. The great thing about these pros is that they have the experience and tools to keep your rainwater flowing right, and the insurance and safety gear to minimize the risk.

Check your roof for holes

Also, since your roof is the feature of your home, which is designed to protect the interior from rainwater and other weather, it makes sense to make sure that you regularly check it for issues such as holes and leaks.

To do this, be sure to look for missing roof tiles or smaller leaks inside your home, and then deal with these quickly before they become major issues. In this way, you will not only best protect your home from rainwater, but also maximize the life of your roof.

Maximise exterior drainage

In addition to keeping your guttering clear, you will also need to make sure that you have enough exterior drainage to whisk any rainwater away from your building and its foundations. This means ensuring you have plenty of downspouts and that they stay in good condition. In this way, you can greatly reduce the risk of flooding and soil erosion at the ground and sub-ground levels.

Protect your doors and windows

Rainwater can also find its way in through the door and window openings in your home. That is why it’s important to inspect and repair these on a regular schedule. Be on the lookout for gaps around the frames, and for ageing weather stripping that is no longer doing its job. Be sure to replace this as soon as possible, and you can expect not only a dryer home, but one with fewer drafts and a lower heating bill.

Properly maintain exterior walls

Exterior walls are crucial when it comes to protecting your home from rainwater damage. This is because, in combination with your roof, they form a physical barrier around your home that prevents the inside from getting wet.

That is why it’s vitally important that you ensure the integrity of your exterior walls is properly maintained. This means that you will need to look for any cracks and repair them quickly. It also makes sense to repaint any exterior surfaces that have become weatherworn, as this can help reseal the physical barrier.