4 Subtle Causes For Flooding In Your Home
When your home suddenly floods it's not always easy to discern the cause. Knowing where floods can come from is a great way to help ensure they don't happen again and make repairing the current problem that much easier.
Deep Clogs and Damage
One common but nevertheless difficult-to-spot cause is a clog or damage to your main septic or sewer drain pipe. This can be due to anything from a stuck clump of paper to a tree root to the pipe itself being broken. The deeper the clog, the harder it can be to detect, as some water will still drain normally before you notice the backup. One way to identify this kind of clog is to notice where the problem originates; water will first start backing up from drains lowest to the ground and closest to the drain pipe even if that's where you aren't using any water.
In these cases, call a residential plumber to have the clog removed and the pipe possibly replaced.
Shifting Foundation
To an extent, it's normal for your house to shift over time, but if your foundation moves too much then it can start to cause problems. Shifting foundations can sometimes cause what's called a slab leak, where damaged pipes below your foundation cause water to leak up through it and into your home from below the floor.
This can be hard to definitively identify, but some signs of a slab leak are seemingly random warm spots on your floor and standing water that doesn't seem to correlate with any water use. A slab leak can be fixed, but they tend to be serious, so it's important to call a plumber for an inspection as soon as you suspect a possible slab leak.
Leaky Appliances
Appliances themselves can sometimes be the culprit, and this can happen even if the appliances are working properly. If an appliance is defective or leaky, it can easily cause a flood; since many are automated, it's easy for flooding to occur if you aren't around to notice it when it happens. This can also happen if any fittings, pipes, or tubes have loosened or become damaged. For example, if your washing machine drain isn't snugly fitted, all the wastewater that should drain into your sewer will instead end up on your floor.
Improper Outdoor Drainage
Water from the outdoors can cause flooding, and it doesn't necessarily have to come from your roof. If rainwater isn't properly directed away from your home via gutters and downspouts, it can start to pool by your home's foundation. In some cases, this can be mostly harmless, but in other cases, it can seep into your home or can get underneath your foundation and weaken the soil, subsequently making foundation damage more likely.
For this reason, it's a good idea to make sure you have gutters installed and to make sure they're properly maintained and cleaned so that they work correctly. When in doubt, it's always a good idea to have them inspected, especially if you have stormy weather coming.
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