1. First and foremost, turn off your exterior faucets valves from the inside, open the faucet to drain the water and remove garden hoses. If these valves are left open the water inside the pipe near the exterior can freeze and expand causing the pipe to burst, when it warms above freezing the ice will melt and you will have water running into the interior of your home until it is turned off. Even if you have ‘frost-proof’ faucets it is still important to turn them off from inside of your home. They can freeze and burst, usually in the valve itself, so you will not know this has happened until you turn the faucet on in the spring. If you do not have an interior shut off valve we recommend that you place an insulated cover over the faucet which can be purchased at your local hardware store.
2. Clean Leaves and Debris from your Gutters.  Once the leaves have fallen, clean your gutters and downspouts. Plugged gutters and downspouts can cause water to seep in next to the foundation and cause basement flooding. Many insurance companies do not cover water damage from seepage. Make sure your downspouts run at least six feet from the foundation, and your landscaping is slopped away from your foundation for at least six feet.
3. Clean you sump pump pit. Once the ground has frozen, remove your sump pump and clean the pit it sits in. Sand and silt will accumulate in the bottom of the pit and can reduce the life of the pump. Replace the pump and check for proper operation of the float. When water is flowing in the pit in the spring is not a good time to find it is malfunctioning.

We hope these helpful tips will prevent you from finding a flood in your home.  If you do have a Water Damage emergency call our 24 hour Water and Fire Damage hotline at 952-930-6853 for an immediate response.

Before you go to bed at night, check your home to be certain that all water taps,
inside and out (including automatic sprinklers), are turned off.  Then record the reading
on your water meter.  In the morning, before anyone uses any water, check your meter
reading again.  If the reading has changed, you may have a leak.  Chances are the
problem is from one or more malfunctioning toilets.  To test this add some food coloring to the water in your toilet tanks.  If color shows up in any of the toilet bowls after 15 minutes or so, you’ve identified the culprit. Usually a simple flapper replacement will solve your problem.  Leaky faucets can usually be easily repaired with a kit.  After fixing any identified problems, run the test again.  No change in your meter reading will verify you have repaired all of the leaks.

We hope these simple tips will avoid you needing our water damage restoration services, however we are here 24/7 if you do.  www.greencleancare.com  763-789-9600

Every person in the home should know where all of the shut offs are located and how to use them.

The Main water shutoff for the home is usually located next to the water meter in the basement.  There is typically a main shut off valve on each side of the meter.  Always turn off the one before the meter, this is because your municipality is usually responsible for everything up to the meter and the homeowner is responsible for everything after the meter.  These are seldom turned on and off and often do not seat properly after a period of time, so don’t turn the one that you would have to pay to repair if it fails.

Each sink usually has a hot and cold water shut off in the cabinet under the sink.  These only turn the water off to each appliance.  Turn these valves off and on annually to keep the seat inside the valve sealing properly.

Each toilet has its own shut off behind the toilet.  Also turn these off and on annually.  Toilet overflows are very common, and can be more costly to clean up than clear water.  If water is overflowing from the tank (not the bowl) simply reach in and lift up the “flapper” and the water will go down quickly, then you can turn off the valve. 

Tubs and showers are typically hard plumbed and do not have separate shut off valves.

We hope these simple tips will avoid you needing our water damage restoration services, however we are here 24/7 if you do.  www.greencleancare.com  763-789-9600

Most clothes washing machines have rubber hoses that connect  the water supply line to the machine.  It is very common for these hoses to develop a “bubble” and eventually burst, causing thousands of dollars of damage to the home.  Just think if this happened while you were out of town.

Replace rubber hoses with steel lined burst proof hoses that can be purchased at any home improvement store, or at a minimum regularly inspect the rubber ones for signs of cracks or bubbles indicating an eventual burst.

Also turn the supply line valves off and on at least once a year.  Since they are left on all the time the seats inside the valve will eventually not seal properly, causing a problem when you need to replace the machine or hoses. 

We hope these simple tips will avoid you needing our water damage restoration services, however we are here 24/7 if you do.  www.greencleancare.com  763-789-9600

 Sump Pit Drainage System

A sump pit drainage system includes a sump pit, a sump pump and a discharge pipe. The sump pit, set into the basement floor, collects water from the drain tiles around your basement. The pump pushes the water outside your house through the discharge pipe.

Place your sump pump discharge pipe so that it  drains somewhere onto your property where water can be absorbed, such as your lawn or flower bed.

Sump Pit

Clean the pit each year after the ground freezes. Drain tile drainage may carry small amounts of soil, sand and debris into the pit from around your basement foundation.

Sump Pump

 Check and test your pump each spring before the rainy season begins, and before you leave your house for a long time. Pour water into the pit to trigger the pump to operate.

 Remove and thoroughly clean the pump at least once a year. Disconnect the pump from the power source before you handle or clean it.

Sump Pump Discharge Pipe

Check the place where the discharge pipe leaves the house. If the pipe is discharging right against the basement wall, the water will drain down into the drain tiles and continue to recycle through the system.

Check the discharge point regularly to make sure that nothing is blocking the flow.

We hope these tips help keep your basement dry this spring.

If you do have a water damage problem in your home call Green Clean Carpet.Care.Restoration.  at 763-789-9600 for immediate assistance.  www.greencleancare.com

Gutters and Downspouts

Water pours off your roof into gutters, then into downspouts. If your gutters are full of debris they will overflow and dump water right next to your foundation. If the downspouts are dumping the water right beside your foundation, it drains directly to the drain tile and can easily overload your home’s drainage. Make sure downspouts extend at least six feet from your basement wall. Also, be sure the water does not drain toward your neighbour’s basement walls.

Clean debris from gutters regularly. If they overflow even when clean, replace them with larger size gutters and downspouts.

Lot Grading

If the land around your home slopes in toward the foundation, rainwater heads right for the drain tile around the basement and can overload your foundation drainage system. The land around many homes settles over time, and then slopes in toward the foundation. If your lot slopes inward, you’ll want to fill in and grade the lot so that, for at least six feet out from around the foundation, the land slopes away from your house. Be careful not to build up the grade above your homes siding.

Build up the ground around your house so that water drains away from your basement walls. Also, examine sidewalks, patios, decks and driveways. These can settle over time and cause water to drain back towards your basement walls.

Extend downspouts so that water flows away from your house and does not collect next to the basement walls and windows.

We hope these tips help keep your basement dry this spring.  Tomorrow we will talk about the sump pit system.

If you do have a water damage problem in your home call Green Clean Carpet.Care.Restoration. at 763-789-9600 for immediate assistance.  www.greencleancare.com

In spring Water Damage Restoration Companies like Green Clean Restoration receive several calls regarding wet or flooded basements from water seepage. Excessive moisture in the ground from melting snow, long periods of rain or heavy downpours can cause the water to leak through cracks in the foundation. Things like clogged rain gutters or detached downspouts can contribute to this problem. Repeated freezing and thawing can also cause cracks to propagate in the foundation. It’s a good idea to contact a Contractor that specializes in correcting these types of water issues.

 Materials such as Carpet, Vynil, drywall, insulation, concrete and wood structural materials that have been affected by water should be tested for moisture content by a Certified Water Damage Restoration Technician. Restoration companies like Green Clean Restoration know the proper mitigation procedures to help eliminate problems caused by water intrusion.

If you find yourself in this situation, call 763-789-9600 for a free consultation, or visit our website.  Come back and visit our blog for more information and tips.

In Spring and summer Water Damage Restoration Companies usually receive several calls from homeowners with flooded basements due to a malfunctioning sump pump. Hiring a company to cleanup water damage can be costly.  Homeowners can be devastated when they find out they don’t have coverage. Not all Insurance Policies have Sump coverage included because it’s a seperate endorsement to the policy. If you have a sump pump call your Insurance Agent to make sure you have the sump endorsement on your policy. For the best protection in late winter when the snow starts to melt make sure your sump pump is working properly and you can avoid the whole mess.

At Green Clean Care, we are experienced at handling water damage issues.  If you have any questions call 763-789-9600, or visit our website for more information.