Nothing can ruin a great vacation more than coming home only to find that your garage has been flooded due to a massive rainstorm or a broken pipe! Unfortunately, this devastating event happens quite frequently. The damage won’t necessarily be limited to just your garage, either. The water can quickly spread into your home, destroying every piece of furniture and valuable keepsake in its path.
Luckily, you can easily take a few simple steps to protect your garage from flooding. Below are four safety precautions that will help prevent your garage from the effects of a flood. A provider of garage door services in Rancho Cordova, CA can help assess your garage to ensure it’s ready to stand up to severe weather conditions:
- Inspect the foundation: Over time, the foundation of your home can begin to crack and crumble as the weight above it shifts. Usually, these tiny cracks don’t cause much concern. But they can become a big problem if a major rainstorm were to occur. Each crack makes your garage more vulnerable to flooding. The crack will continue to grow as the water pushes until it is wide enough for it to spill into the garage. You can easily avoid this fate by sealing any developing cracks with a vinyl concrete patch or waterproof paint. You may need to replace the foundation entirely if the cracks become too large.
- Replace weather stripping: This is the simplest way to protect your garage. Weather stripping can be used to keep water and bugs from entering the garage from the top and sides of the door. But weather stripping can only work if it’s in good condition. Call a professional for garage door services in Rancho Cordova, CA as soon as you begin to notice the weather stripping becoming dry, cracked or brittle. A professional garage door specialist will be able to fix it in no time so your home is well protected.
- Install proper drainage: Installing a sewer drain into your garage floor can reduce the potential damages. This line drains directly into the main sewer line below. The excess water then flows into the sewer line instead of entering your home. This one can be tricky, so it’s best to call a professional for garage door services in Rancho Cordova, CA to determine whether this is the best option for your home.
- Install flood vents: Your garage is well equipped to stand up against flooding. But sometimes it needs a little help if the flooding is too severe for the normal precautions. A flood vent will allow the water to flow through the garage instead of placing pressure on the foundation or the door to your home. This way, the floodwater won’t grow high enough to rush into your home.
A flood doesn’t have to be devastating. Taking the precautions above will reduce the potential damages significantly. Call Action Door Service today to speak to an expert garage door technician on the best steps to protect your garage from flooding. We’ll assess your flooding risk before developing a plan to flood-proof your home and garage.