How To Protect Your Home From Rainfall In 3 Simple Steps

Alivia Whitaker | October 9, 2018 @ 12:00 AM

Whether you live in an area with heavy rainfall or not you need to know how to protect your home from rainfall.  If you live somewhere with very little rain, it may be all the more reason to make sure you are prepared for when it does come.

How To Protect Your Home From Rainfall: Gutters

The first how to in how to protect your home from rainfall is to check your gutters.  If you have build up or blockages in your gutters it can cause pooling and leaking inside your roof and/or house.  

It's important to make sure that your gutters are clear and can be used they way they were intended - to redirect rainfall.  Lowes wrote a guide on how to clean gutters.  They said,

"A hose-end attachment specially designed for gutters may make this project a lot easier. If you need to clean from a ladder, follow these steps.

Step 1
Begin cleaning the gutter near a downspout.

Step 2
Remove the large debris (leaves, twigs, etc.) with a trowel and dump it in a bucket.

Step 3
To clean out finer materials, flush the gutter lengths with a hose starting at the end opposite the downspout. Alternatively, you can use a gutter-cleaning attachment on a hose. If the water doesn’t drain, recheck the downspout strainer and clean as necessary.

If gutter water still doesn’t drain, the downspout may be clogged.

  1. Check the drain end. If the downspout runs underground, remove it from the pipe as needed.
  2. Install a small nozzle on the hose, and lock it at full pressure. Turn on the water and feed the hose up from the bottom of the spout. If this doesn’t clear the downspout or the nozzle is too big, use a plumber’s snake tool to clear the blockage.
  3. Reattach the downspout.
  4. Flush the entire gutter again.
  5. Be sure to clean the downspout strainers."

How To Protect Your Home From Rainfall: Foundation And Vents

The next important step is to check your foundation for openings and cracks.  This includes locating all vents and making sure they are in the closed position.   Having your foundation sure and closed up is essential in how to protect your home from rainfall.  Access to your home from the ground rainwater is the fastest way to attract flooding. 

Houselogic.com wrote an overview on how to spot signs of weakness in a foundation. They wrote,

"The 4 Basic Indoor Warning Signs

Houses settle over time, and a little unevenness isn’t cause for panic. At the same time, you’ll want to be alert to these warning signs that more dramatic changes are taking place:

  1. A door begins to jam or fails to latch.
  2. Cracks appear in walls, especially over doorways, windows, or where walls meet ceilings.
  3. Cracks open in vinyl or ceramic tile over a concrete floor.
  4. Windows that used to open and close easily suddenly begin to stick or won’t close completely.
Check the Outside

Moving outside, check to see if your foundation is straight by sighting down the length of your foundation wall from each corner. The walls should be basically straight, both up and down and from side to side. Check for leaning walls with a level.

A bulge or curve in either a block foundation or a poured concrete wall could signal that the foundation has shifted, or that the soil around your foundation may be expanding and contracting, putting pressure on walls."

How To Protect Your Home From Rainfall: Check Run Off Locations

A simple but vital step is to check and monitor all run off locations.  This includes the bottom of drains and gutters and anywhere water falls off your home.  Make sure your gutter bottom is pointed out and away from the house.  A badly directed run off location could pump rainwater right into your home without you knowing it until its too late.

Doityourself.com outlined the way to redirect a water spout on their site.  They explained,

"Installing gutter elbowsin your downspout will help redirect water flow away from the foundation of your home, your driveway and other areas where excess water, or ice in winter, could be a hazard. Follow the tips below to install gutter elbows in your downspout.

Step 1: Draw a Plan of Your Gutter and Downspout Path

On a large piece of newsprint draw the plan of your gutter and downspout for your house. Include turns you will need to make whether at the top, in the middle or at the base of the downspout to direct water. Show the exact angle size and length of each piece of the downspout and elbows. Make your plan so it directs water at least 20 feet away from the foundation of your house and at least 5 feet to one side of your driveway.

Step 2: Measure the Length of Downspout and Elbows You Will Need

With your measuring tape and stepladder, measure from the top edge of the roof gutter to the end point where you want the water flow to be expelled. Determine how many straight downspout sections you need and how many elbows. Note that gutter elbows are available in angles from 30 to 90 degrees, but that the standard angle is 75 degrees. Work out the angles of gutter elbows you need to achieve your water flow path.

Step 3: Purchase Your Materials

Take your plan to a home supply center and speak to a sales associate who is experienced with gutter and downspout installation. They may be able to suggest modifications to your plan that will make your downspout and elbows easier to install and may save you money. You will need mounting support brackets for every 28 inches of vertical or horizontal distance of your downspout and for both ends of each gutter elbow.

Step 4: Install Downspout and Elbows

Attach a drop outlet from the end of the gutter to the start of the downspout. This will direct water down into the downspout. Secure the downspout to the drop outlet with a mounting support bracket. Screw the bracket tightly closed with a power drill and a galvanized steel screw. Finish off the end of the screw with a nut to prevent slippage. Attach the first gutter elbow at the base of the downspout to turn it away from the foundation. Fasten the elbow to the downspout with 2 mounting support brackets. The second bracket will attach to the next length of downspout tubing. Run the next length of downspout tubing away from the foundation across your lawn. your driveway.

Step 5: Direct Water Flow to the Street and Sewers

Install another gutter elbow at 90 degrees to the second downspout tube so the next downspout will run toward the street parallel to your driveway, but several feet from it. Add the third downspout tube and put a flared drop outlet at the end to disperse the water flow."

If you follow this guide it should help you know how to protect your home from rainfall and keep your house flood free! In addition, you can visit Keylock Storage Blog for more interesting articles about organization and lifestyle: keylockstorage.com/blogs