Tag: Windows

How to Waterproof Your Home

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How to Waterproof Your HomeThe first line of defense when it comes to protecting your home against water damage, mold, mildew, and even some smoke damage is to make sure that your home is waterproof.  We aren’t talking about giving your home an IP68 waterproof rating (a completely sealed home would be difficult to breathe inside).  With all the rain we’ve had recently, it’s a good idea to take a look around your home and find where problems are.

So start by watching your house when it rains.  If you spy a leak or see pooling water somewhere, dry it out and take care of the repair as soon as possible (preferably before the next rain storm).  Then, once you’ve fixed your roof, go through this list and see if there’s anything else you can do to improve your home’s defenses.

Rain Gutter and Roof Repairs

Clogged, damaged, or missing gutters are terrible for your home.  Ideally, gutters will gather all the runoff from your roof and deposit it away from your foundation.  A house with damaged gutters can lead to water pouring onto visitors as they try to step onto your porch or water pooling around the foundation, compounding cracks and damage.

If your gutters are simply clogged with leaves, dirt, or nests made by animals, you’ll end up with the same problem.  Water will backlog and spill over the gutters and down your wall.  Additionally, all that water weight will wear down the restraints for your gutter, eventually pulling it free of the house.

If there is a clog in your gutters or downspouts, try removing it with tongs.  If the clog is too far in to be reached, attempt to flush out the clog with a hose.

Paint and Siding Damage

Paint can erode and wear over time.  If you’ve seen water damage either inside or outside your home, it’s time to fix the exterior sealants of your home.  Inspect all siding for holes caused by wear or pests and seal them up.  When painting the outside of your home, use weather resistant paint that’s designed to withstand UV exposure and use a layer of sealant to protect that paint.  While wall damage is not the most common source of water ingress, it’s still a source and is well-worth the time to repair.

Storm Doors and Windows

Damaged frames, loose weather-stripping, and sticky doors are all signs that it’s time to fix your home.  Sticky doors are usually caused by wood that swells due to higher humidity (or a cracked foundation).  When it comes to water ingress, making sure that your windows and doors are sealed against the weather is essentially.  Check the edges of each, making sure that both the frame and the door or window are making a firm seal.  Examine any weather-stripping to make sure it’s not worn away or damaged, and replace as needed.

Protect your Foundation

Always protect your foundation.  The concrete slab beneath your home needs some water in the surrounding soil to keep it from cracking, but too much water will lead to seepage.  Concrete is mildly porous and when water pools next to your foundation it will, eventually, find a way in.  Make sure that gutters are draining away from your foundation, that the ground is always sloped away from the edge of your home, and that bushes and flowerbeds are far enough from the edge to prevent water from pooling.

You should also take care of cracks in your foundation immediately.  Water will cause more damage if it’s able to enter your foundation and will eventually seep into your home as well.  Repair cracks and have your foundation resealed or lined to prevent future damage.

Test Sump Pumps

Sometimes, heavy weather can get past all of these defenses.  If you have a basement, test your sump pump once a month.  Make sure that it’s working and can handle water flowing into your basement.  That pump is your final line of defense against a flooded home and is your strongest tool to protect your belongings!

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7 Tricky Mold Hiding Spots

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The 7 Trickiest Mold Hiding PlacesMold can grow anywhere, provided it finds three things: a comfortable climate, a surface, and a food supply.  Most things are a food supply to mold and most things have multiple surfaces.  So the last thing it needs is the right combination of humidity and temperature to grow unimpeded.  As soon as the climate matches, mold spores (which are everywhere) immediately begin to grow and reproduce, spreading across a surface and slowly eroding it away.

You know to check the problem locations: the utility closet, the bathroom, and the basement.  But there are other places where mold is not only surprisingly common, but often grows unchecked.  After storms, humid days, damaged plumbing, or even just once a month you should do a quick inspection of all these special hiding places to make sure you don’t have secret mold hiding away.

Chimneys

Brick crevices and molding give plenty of places for water and dirt to accumulate.  The inside of your chimney is also protected from harmful UV rays, which can kill off mold.  When chimney caps and damaged flashing allow water and moisture into the chimney, it creates a perfect breeding ground for mold.  Unfortunately, due to how difficult (and dangerous) it is to clean a chimney, your best option is to hire a professional mold cleaner (or get regular chimney sweeps).

Windowsills and under Sink Cabinets

Overhangs that are protected from direct sunlight but are still close to condensation spots or water leaks make great places for mold.  Sink cabinets (where a single drip from a leaky pipe can raise humidity) or around windowsills (where moisture can arise from the window condensation or from small leaks) make great places for mold to hide out.

The best thing you can do is clean up after storms or after you find a leak.  When a storm is through, open the windows and wipe away excess water and moisture.

On Dishes

Wet dishes drying on a rack are fine, but placing damp or wet dishes in cabinets (or leaving them sitting the dishwasher) will provide extremely humid and warm environments for mold to grow on the surface of dishes.  Fortunately, this can become obvious pretty quickly when you grab a dish and find spots on it.  But if you’ve left them sitting in the dishwasher it’s best if you give the dishwasher a thorough cleaning before putting any more dishes through.

Washing Machines

Anywhere you find water, there’s risk of mold.  So of course your cleaning appliances are at risk.  This includes your washing machine and clothes dryer.  For front loading machines, check the seals around the door for accumulated moisture and leave them open to dry after you run a load of clothes through.  Check the detergent chamber of your washing machine as well, since water can pool inside it start mold growth.  Mold here is especially damaging since it will eat through clothing over time.

HVAC Drain Pans

Your HVAC and Furnace are both going to generate a lot of water in the form of condensation.  Check the drain pans and drip lines, not to mention the areas around your HVAC unit for signs of mold growth or water spills.

Carpets and Carpet Mats

If there’s been a water spill in any room with a carpet, then you need to keep careful watch on that room for a few weeks.  The matting underneath your carpet will absorb and hold onto water, sometimes staying damp for far longer than the carpet above.  Whenever there is a major spill, use a wet-vac to try and remove as much water from it as possible.  Adding a desiccant or running an air conditioner to dry out the air will help as well.

Mold thrives especially well underneath the carpet and can stay hidden for months before anyone is the wiser.  With every step on the carpet, mold spores are spread into the air, leaving you with aggravated allergies and a higher chance of mold growth elsewhere.

If you find mold growing under your carpet, it may be time to call a professional.  If it’s a large infestation, then you need mold remediation immediately.  In either circumstance, replacing the matting is probably going to be necessary.

Inside Walls

Usually this one is hard to spot.  Plumbing drips, leaky roofs, and general flooding all have the chance to spur mold growth inside the walls of your home.  The easiest way to identify this will be in water stains on walls and ceilings.  Unfortunately, it’s too late to do much else but call for remediation by this point.  Performing regular leak detection for plumbing and roofs will go a long way toward preventing this unfortunate case.

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