How To Prepare Your Home For The Spring Run-Off

For a city’s storm drainage system to work, the inlets need to stay clear so water can flow. Leaves and other debris can travel downstream and clog the inlets. Keep your lawn and the areas around your home clear of leaves and debris.

Check your landscaping and the slope of any concrete surfaces. Understanding how water flows through your property can help you prevent water damage. Consider using sandbags to direct water away from window wells or low spots that collect water.

Walk the perimeter of your home and make sure any exterior drain inlets are not blocked. Common places for these are walkout basements and french drains. Consider pouring 5-10 gallons of water into them to see if they can handle that much water. If they can’t, get them cleaned out.

If you park cars on the street, avoid parking with the tires against the curb. Keep the gutter lines clear. If you have a curb ramp, make sure it is also clean and water can flow through it.

Most people know if they have a sump pump or not. If you do, it is important to make sure it's functioning. The older your sump pump is the more important it is to go through these steps.

1. Go to where your sump pump is and remove the cover.
2. Pour 5-10 gallons of water into the pump tank. Make sure the pump turns on and pumps the water out.
3. Go outside to where it drains and see if water is coming out, and that nothing is blocking the drain line.
4. Replace the cover inside.

• If your sump pump is old, consider getting the pump inspected and serviced.

If you remove the lid to your sump tank and there is no pump, we recommend you get one installed now. There are some new housing developments in Utah that didn't install pumps to keep costs down. This might not have seemed like an issue when buying the home, but it could cost you thousands of dollars if left unfinished now.

Too often we store irreplaceable keepsakes in cardboard boxes in the basement. This is fine until there is a leak, backup, or flood of some kind. Go to the basement and see what would be damaged or destroyed if there were a couple of inches of standing water. Take the necessary steps to minimize your exposure to risk.

Let’s say you have a crawlspace or your home is in a neighborhood where no one has basements. No basements in your area mean your home is likely near groundwater. This is a good indication that spring run-off could affect your area. A crawlspace can be at risk for flooding, which can create mold and other issues.

Even if you do your best to prepare, the unexpected can happen. You could call your insurance company to see what your flood coverage looks like. If it makes sense, you may want to increase coverage until after the run-off.