Five Simple Ways To Flood Proof Your Home

The last thing anyone wants to deal with is a flooded home. Here are five tips from our experts at White Knight in Madison to help you flood proof your home. 

Safeguard Your Electrical Systems

The electrical systems in your home are very vulnerable to flooding. Even a small amount of water can ruin them and leave you with significant costs for replacing them. The best way to safeguard your electrical systems is to raise all electrical outlets, sockets, and circuit breakers to at least one foot above the ground. Ideally, you can design a home this way if you are building one. If not, however, consider the costs and benefits of raising your electrical systems. This isn’t a perfect system since floodwater that reaches over a foot will still cause damage, but the chances of that happening is not likely.  

Determine How Water Flows Around Your Home

The grading or slope of the ground can direct water to your house or away from it. Obviously, it’s best if the home was built so that water drains away from it. Either way, it’s important that you understand the slope of your yard so you know how to expect water around your home to behave. This can be determined easily by watching how water flows or accumulates during an average rainstorm. If your street is prone to have standing water after an ordinary rainstorm, talk to your county planning or environmental services department. They will be able to make suggestions that will help you manage the water and keep it out of your home. 

Install A Sump Pump

Having a sump pump may be the single most important factor for mitigating water damage after a flood. A sump pump is a simple tool you can set up in your basement or crawlspace that pumps large amounts of water from your home after a flood. They are very affordable (quality models can be purchased for under $200) so there really is no good excuse for not having one. 

Point Downspouts Away From Your Home

Downspouts are built to channel water away from your home so it won’t be able to cause any flooding or damage. Pointing your downspouts in the wrong direction, however, can have the opposite effect. Make sure that your downspouts end at least five feet away from your home. Any closer and you risk the runoff water from them pooling near your foundation and flooding your basement. 

Install Window Well Covers

Window well covers are one of the most affordable and effective ways to flood proof your home. Because flooding that originates in window wells is so common, window well covers go a long way toward preventing flooding and water damage. They are also very affordable making them an even smarter and more worthwhile investment. 

We hope these tips help you prevent flooding in your home. Nonetheless, if your home does ever flood, don’t hesitate to give us a call at White Knight in Madison for help.