How to Prepare for Severe Summer Weather

The summer solstice is on June 20, although the Atlantic hurricane season officially begins on June 1. However, depending on which region of your country, hurricanes are not the only weather events that may pose a threat to homeowners in summer.

In many parts of the United States, summer brings strong thunderstorms, tropical storms, hail, tornadoes, floods and, of course, high temperatures.

These natural forces can damage your plumbing - but fortunately, you can do some preparatory work.

Here are some measures you should take to prepare your home before bad weather strikes.

Clean drains and drains: debris, including leaves, soil, branches and grass, likes to gather in drains and drains. Although no one likes to clean up these chores, it is an important task before any bad weather strikes. If this is not done, clogs will cause water leakage in walls and roofs, and may cause a large amount of water damage.

Read more: water damage caused by pipeline leakage is a common homeowner's insurance claim

Make sure water flows out of your house: landscaping should be tilted away from your house to prevent flooding. You can do this by finding the highest and lowest points of your property and using soil to form a slope away from your house.

Check your sewage pump: if your house has a basement, you can rely on the sewage pump to drain rainwater from under the house to prevent flooding. Take a close look at your sewage pump - if there is water near the top of the sewage tank, or its motor makes strange noise you don't know, it may be time to repair it. The service life of the sewage pump is generally about ten years, so if your pump is around this age, it may be time to replace it.

Check your sewer: heavy rain may flood your sewer, especially if there are cracks in the pipe. If the root finds its way there, it may lead to a major backup. Your local plumber can check your pipe and repair any cracks before you have a major problem.

Find the stop valve: if your home is flooded, you need to close the main water valve of your home immediately. You can do this manually, or you may need to use a pipe wrench or a long handle pipe wrench called a water key. If you can't find your stop valve, please call the plumber - we'll be happy to help.