Valentinos Diolmos

Anyone impacted by the devastation of Hurricane Irene can tell you, flooding can occur almost anywhere. Every year, homeowners across America suffer millions of dollars in losses due to flooding.

As anyone impacted by the destructive floods that accompanied Hurricane Irene can tell you, flooding can occur just about anywhere. Don’t make the mistake of thinking it can’t happen to you.

Fortunately, floods typically allow time to prepare. Use that time wisely to ensure your home’s plumbing system won’t fail by following these simple steps.

• Flush all toilets andlet the supply tanks to fill with clean water. This water can use during an emergency. Bathtubs and sink basins can also be filled with water. Of course this water shouldn’t be consumed, but it’s completely safe for cleaning, bathing and for flushing toilets until the water supply is safely restored.
• After making sure that you have a good supply of water, shut off the water supply at the main valve to stop contaminated water from entering your home’s plumbing lines.
• If the house has an upstairs bathroom, turn on the faucet allowing air to get in the lines and then drain water from a downstairs faucet.
• Water may be drained from your home’s hot water heater or pressure tank. This water is perfectly safe for drinking. Be sure you turn off the gas or electricity to the unit to prevent it from turning on while the tank is being drained.
• Water stored in your home’s plumbing pipes should be safe for drinking and cooking for up to 3 days. After that, it has to be disinfected prior to drinking.
• Inspect your gutters and downspouts to make certain they’re free of leaks and debris that could cause them to fail.
• Clean debris from culverts and sewer drains so they can evacuate water away from your home as quickly as possible.
• If your home has a basement, be sure you have a properly-working sump pump.
• Since power outages commonly occur during floods, it’s also a good idea to invest in an auxiliary generator.
• If your house has floor drains in the basement or garage, make sure they are free of obstructions.
• Once the flood water have subsided, wait until your local water district to declare that the water is safe to drink before resuming your usual consumption habits.
• Once you turn the water main valve back on, it’s a good idea to flush all plumbing lines by turning on all the faucets in your residence and letting them run for several minutes. This will also get rid of any air that may have collected inside the pipes.

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