Protecting Against Water Damage In Nashville

12/8/2017 (Permalink)

Protecting Against Water Damage

Water from outside sources does not have to flood a Nashville home to cause damage. A constant source can find or even cause cracks in a foundation where it eventually seeps into a home. Often, preventive actions can deal with water issues very effectively.

To prevent Nashville home water damage; there are several issues that SERVPRO can address for every homeowner. These are drains and landscaping, foundation protection, and crawlspace encapsulation.

Poorly maintained or damaged rain gutters and drains can direct water down a wall instead of away from the structure. It collects at the bottom of the wall and seeps down where it eventually finds its way through the foundation and into the home. Fortunately, this is the easiest preventive measure for us.

Technicians check each gutter and drain. We reattached drain pipes to walls and securely connect them to the rain gutters. Then we clean out clogged gutters and pipes and run water through the entire system to check for leaks and other problems.

If the problem was long-term, the water might have affected the landscaping. That can be a poor appearance, or it may mean that enough soil was washed away to cause pooling against the house. To repair this, SERVPRO technicians may need to replace soil or even install a drainpipe just below the surface to direct water away from the house.

With the water directed away from home, we now dig out around the foundation and look for cracks or seeps. To seal these, and protect against further problems, we coat each foundation wall with liquid rubber. The sealant protects against water intrusion and does not leak unless a wall suffers severe physical damage.

Finally, we seal off the crawlspace. Our technicians inspect the inside of the foundation walls and seal every crack and seep with hydraulic cement. To augment this and protect the entire surface, we then apply masonry cement over each wall. These two types of cement form an exceptional barrier to water intrusion in the future.

Protecting the walls takes care of most of the problem, but water also seeps up through the ground. To prevent this, we cover the floor with plastic, polyethylene sheets and reinforce the surface with a polyester mesh to provide more strength. Our last step is to seal the new floor covering to the foundation walls with a special, polyurethane caulk and foundation tape. It waterproofs the crawlspace completely unless there is major damage to the home.

Protecting your home against water damage can seem impossible, but SERVPRO of South Nashville is here to walk you through every step, so your home is safe against not just this winter, but for many seasons to come. Call us today at (615) 331-0200 to get started.

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