Earlier this year, Los Angeles was battered with what some locals call ‘biblical flooding’. But aside from having your personal belongings soaked in muddy water, the biggest problem shows itself once the flooding dries up. You’ll deal with mold growth, contamination, structural damage, and the list goes on. But take note that bad weather isn’t the only cause of flooding – even your own plumbing system could work against you!
So for this post, we discussed common causes of flooding and some ways to reduce the risk of floods on your home. Keep reading to stay prepared!
Common causes of flooding on your home’s plumbing
Prevention of flood damage starts by knowing what could cause it in the first place. Aside from a rainy onslaught or a hurricane, the following can also be the culprit for unexpected flooding in your property:
1. Backups
In many years as an emergency plumber in Los Angeles, backups have been one of the leading causes of flooding in homes. And it’s not just your typical flood – it’s gross, especially if the water is welling out of your toilet.
This often happens when your drain pipes or sewage pipes get blocked with various stuff. For example, toilets may overflow if there’s a buildup of sanitary products on the pipes, or your floor drains may back up if there’s tree root intrusion.
If not fixed right away, this wastewater can bring serious damage on your property, which is an additional expense on your part.
2. Burst pipes
How do you prevent floods? Well, you have to be careful about frozen or damaged pipes that could burst at any moment. This can easily flood your home, especially if the pipes are hidden. In this case, the leak would only be discovered once substantial flood damage has been caused.
As with backups, a lot of reasons can cause your pipes to burst. Some of it includes a drastic change in temperature, rust, excessive water pressure, physical damage, and poor installation.
3. Improper plumbing installation
Unskilled installation of pipes and any plumbing component can lead to flooding in your home when it’s not supposed to. Some of our customers call with this same problem because they trusted an unlicensed handyman to do their plumbing work for a low price.
So, if you want to know how to stop floods, the best people to call are licensed and experienced professionals like the Pacific Plumbing Team!
How to prevent flooding on your property
Now, let’s answer the million-dollar question among homeowners: how can you prevent floods? As a team that’s seen all kinds of plumbing-related plumbing in LA, we always tell our customers the following points:
1. Schedule annual plumbing inspections
One of the most effective ways to reduce flooding is to get your plumbing system checked at least once a year. Take note that you don’t have to wait for burst pipes or backups to happen before you call a plumber.
Instead, you can take a proactive approach by scheduling annual inspections to spot weak points and get necessary repairs right away. Regardless if your home is new, we still suggests sticking to at least an annual inspection for your peace of mind.
If you want to know more about plumbing inspections and how they work, call us at Pacific Plumbing Team, and our specialist will discuss it with you.
2. Get your sump pump tested
If you have a sump pump on your basement, make sure you get it tested and checked regularly. The last thing you want is discovering that you have a faulty pump as water floods into your home.
Overall, your sump pump should be powerful enough to pump water out faster than the speed by which water can build up in your basement. Also, it would be a smart move to get a battery backup so your sump pump will remain functional in case of power outages during hurricanes.
You can call our team for a comprehensive check on your sump pump and other components of your plumbing system. We can also provide all the necessary repairs immediately.
3. Get your home drainage checked
You should also improve the flood drainage system in your property to avoid water from pooling and causing damage to your home.
For starters, have your downspouts and gutters cleaned and tuned up to ensure that they can efficiently disperse rainwater. Also, you should invest in professional soil grading so water will slope away from your home whenever it rains. Otherwise, water may pool around your property’s foundation, seep through your home, and cause serious flood damage.
4. Consider installing a flood control system
If you live in an area in Los Angeles that’s notorious for flooding, you should consider installing a flood control system on your property.
This could include multiple installations, such as sump pumps, French drains, flood barriers, and more. All these are great flood prevention techniques that will direct rainwater away from your home’s foundation.
If you want to know what flood control system suits your home, contact us today, and our plumber can do a site inspection. From there, we will provide you with a list of recommendations.
5. Install water appliances properly
We’ve also had many calls for flooding due to leaks caused by improperly installed water appliances. This includes your dishwashers, washing machines, water dispensers, water filtration systems, and so on. Also, an incorrectly installed sprinkler system can easily bring serious flooding to your property on a sunny day.
You can stop a flood before it happens by calling us to install your water appliances. Our certified plumbers can safely install your new water appliances and fixtures to avoid any leaks in the future.
Take note that flooding and electrical appliances can be a lethal mix. That’s why it’s best to call a professional right at the beginning.
6. Address leaks right away
Many customers have a common question whenever we’re called to fix plumbing-related plumbing: how do we prevent floods? One thing we emphasize is the importance of repairing leaks as they happen.
Although minor drips from your pipe may seem harmless, it’s often a ticking time bomb bound to burst. When this happens, you’ll have to deal with a bigger hassle compared to calling a plumber right away. Above all, it’s more expensive to repair burst pipes compared to a small leak.
If you see or suspect any leaks on your home or business, you can call us for a quick fix. We are dual-licensed plumbers and we can repair leaks before they cause major flooding!
7. Upgrade to one-way valves
One way on how can we stop floods is to consider switching to one-way valves. This type of valve prevents fluids from backflowing, which reduces the risk of having overflowing toilets, drains, sinks, and so on.
However, one-way valves are not applicable in all situations. For example, a backflow with high pressure may still cause some of the water to still get past the valve.
You can call our team to learn more about one-way valves and other ways to control floods in your home.
8. Mind what you flush!
How can we prevent floods from backflows, blockages, or clogging? The best answer is to mind what you flush down your toilet!
We always remind our customers to NEVER flush sanitary products like tampons, wet wipes, dental floss, condoms, cotton balls, diapers, and the likes. Also, we discourage flushing clumps of hair down your pipes because it doesn’t break down. It will just accumulate and create a clog that will require our emergency plumbing services.
Overall, flushing products aside from toilet paper will bring a slew of problems down the line. If you want to know how to reduce flooding, you have to stop tossing items on your toilet and instead have a trash bin handy.
Stop flooding before it happens with the help of Pacific Plumbing Team
At Pacific Plumbing Team, we always believe that prevention is better than repairs. And as a way to prevent flood in your home or business, you can partner with us for regular inspections and maintenance of your plumbing system.
Our team of licensed plumbers can look for potential causes of flooding in your plumbing system and fix it before it causes any problems.
However, if flooding unfortunately hit your home, you can always call us for emergency plumbing! We will get to the root of the problem before it causes further water damage on your property. Aside from fixing the source of the flooding, we also offer water damage restoration service, so you can resume your chores right away.
Want to know more how to prevent a flood? Or do you need help with flooding in your home right now? Contact Pacific Plumbing for same-day or scheduled service! Our plumbers can reach in as fast as 1 hour anywhere in LA – depending on availability!
Your Partners in Plumbing Solutions
Don't let a clogged sink disrupt your daily routine. Contact Pacific Plumbing Company today for efficient and reliable solutions. Our experienced team is ready to tackle any plumbing challenge, providing prompt service and peace of mind. Let us handle the clogs so you can get back to what matters most.
