Recovering From Rain Following Summer In South Jersey
South Jersey residents know how rainy it can be in the summertime. Although we didn’t experience too many intense storms, there was an excessive amount of rain this 2020 season. With fall approaching, recovering from rain after many months can seem like a daunting task. You’ll more than likely need to do some home maintenance to bounce back from any potential water damage that may have occurred.
Recovering from rain after a period of prolonged moisture may seem impossible, as you can never truly avoid gloomy weather as a whole. With the unpredictable nature of the South Jersey climate, you never know what you’re going to get. You want to keep your home safe and secure all year long, and a little maintenance goes a long way. Along with the obvious risk of mold development, there are multiple things to keep in mind when recovering from rain in your South Jersey home.
Maintenance Tasks For Recovering From Rain & Excess Moisture
There are plenty of simple tasks that you can accomplish both indoors and out to ensure that your home is protected from leakage and excess moisture. When recovering from rain after the unpredictable summer we just had, you can not be too cautious. It is better to take extra measures to protect your home now, than to suffer the potential consequences later.
Check Your Gutters & Downspouts
As a general precaution, you want to double check that your downspouts are properly directing water away from your home. Improperly placed downspouts can lead to excess water pooling around the foundation of your home. You’ll also want to ensure that your gutters and downspouts are free of any debris that may have ended up in there after a storm. This debris can clog your gutters, which doesn’t allow them to have water flow freely through them. This water can then pool up and potentially cause damage to your roof.
Fill In Any Foundation Cracks
As previously mentioned, if your downspouts are not properly positioned, this can lead to water pooling at the foundation of your home. You will want to ensure that your home’s foundation is free of any cracks, especially when recovering from rain after a period of prolonged moisture. These cracks, minuscule as they may be, can lead to seepage. If it goes undetected for long enough, this seepage could cause as much water damage as a flood. As a preventative measure, you’ll want to have your home’s foundation thoroughly inspected for cracks and crevices.
Assess Any Potential Damage to Your Roof
To pick up where we previously left off, clogged gutters can cause water to pool and inflict damage on your roof. When in the process of recovering from rain, you may want to have your roof inspected for any leaks, damaged shingles, or mold. We strongly advise you to have your roof assessed by a professional, as attempting to do this yourself could be dangerous.
Wipe Away Condensation
This may be the easiest task on the entire list. The heat and moisture from outside, combined with the cool air conditioning inside will create condensation. What you will want to do is simply wipe away any condensation from windows as you notice it. It’s pretty straight forward, and will help reduce moisture and the risk of excess humidity in your home.
Control Humidity Inside Your Home
The ideal humidity levels inside a home are between 35% and 50%. This can also be a relatively easy task to uphold, so long as your home is not harboring a lot of excess moisture when recovering from rain. Wiping away condensation will be a big help, but you will also want to employ the use of proper ventilation to ensure that any potential moisture in the air has a way out.
Repair Drafts Around Windows & Doors
Drafts around windows and doors can cause multiple problems within your home when recovering from rain after the summer. Not only are drafts letting your air conditioning out, they are also letting humidity in. To keep your home’s humidity levels where they should be, some quick caulking can fix up a draft in no time.
Home maintenance while recovering from rain is not as intimidating as it may have initially seemed. For the most part, these tasks are quick and simple, but they make a huge difference for your home, inside and out. If you suspect that rain damage has led to mold in your home, don’t hesitate to contact a professional mold inspection company in your South Jersey area.