Water Damage From A Lawn Sprinkler System

Water Damage From A Lawn Sprinkler System

Water Damage From A Sprinkler System

Many adults can remember in their youth children running through the sprinklers in the summer to get refreshed from the blistering heat. Some enviable homes actually had a swimming pool, but many had a garden hose with a store bought sprinkler of some sort. Today it is a marvel of technology that sprinklers are under ground and watering your grass is as easy as flipping a switch or turning a dial. The only downside is if your home experiences water damage from a lawn sprinkler system.

Action Extraction flood restoration of Macomb MI regularly gets called out to manage broken sprinkler systems that have leaked and saturated the outside soil of a home. When the water comes into contact with the foundation it will often intrude into the home and flood the basement. This type of water damage from a lawn sprinkler system can affect the entire basement if it runs for only several hours.

Reasons A Lawn Sprinkler System May Cause Water Damage

Freezing can cause water damage. One way water damage from a lawn sprinkler system happens is when the water freezes in the lines and breaks the underground plumbing or the actual system attached to the home freezes and breaks. It only takes a rise in temperature above freezing before the sprinkler system starts to have a powerful stream of running water. With each hour of unabated streaming water there is an increased chance of experiencing residential water damage from a lawn sprinkler system.

Before long the soil becomes overly saturated with water allowing it to come into direct contact with the foundation of the home. Water presence and pressure is all it takes to allow a continued inundation of ground water into a basement through windows, cracks in the wall or a floor joint of the basement floor.

It is important to make sure your lawn sprinkler system is winterized before the first freezing temperatures begin. This yearly maintenance is the first step to avoid water damage from a lawn sprinkler system. Although this is an essential yearly maintenance, faithful adherence to doing this each year is no guarantee you will not experience water damage from a lawn sprinkler system, because water under pressure can inevitably malfunction.

Accidents can cause water damage. Landscapers and lawn maintenance companies are rushed to get from one job to the other and as carefully as they attempt to manage their service can have accidents happen. One common cause of water damage from a lawn sprinkler system is when a lawn technician accidentally hits the water sprinkler system with their lawn mower. If the water immediately makes its presence known by spraying all over, the technician can fix it before you have water damage from a lawn sprinkler system. However if it doesn’t manifest its compromised plumbing until an hour after they have gone, water can begin to pour out violently from a system break.

Vandalism can cause water damage. Remember the loved Christmas story, ‘Home alone’? Two nefarious robbers attempting to steal from Macaulay Culkin’s home while he is home alone. After first burglarizing a property, they made it a habit to turn on the water to flood the home as their signature insult. The one thief aspired the duo to be known as the ‘wet bandits.’

While it is rare, vandalizing a water meter, water outlet or even lawn sprinkler system has been known to happen. One way to keep the plumbing from the hands of what is typically bored adolescence is to hide it from view. One way to keep the plumbing from view of a potential vandal and prevent water damage from a lawn sprinkler system is to cover it with plants, shrubs or bushes. Hiding potential temptation from a troublemaker is an easy way to keep your home from being seen as an easy target for water damage. Some suggest the best way to keep your home from potential destruction is to make sure you use only plants with thorns and sharp jagged leaves and branches. Click here for more tips on how to stop a vandal.

How to know if you have water running from a sprinkler systemIf you hear water running from your plumbing system but cannot find out where it is coming from you may be getting water damage from a lawn sprinkler system. Many have experienced hearing running water before and curiously walked through the house to discover where it was coming from. Sometimes it is a dish washer, washing machine or even a sprinkler system running at night. But what happens when you hear running water but cannot find it and no water is coming out of your sprinkler system?

You may have a broken sprinkler water line that is under the soil and slowly flooding your property. Immediately turn off your water main and contact a sprinkler repair company to make sure stop the potential of water damage from a lawn sprinkler system. A trained lawn sprinkler technician will be able to locate and easily repair the broken pipe and get your water turned back on.

What To Do If You Have Water Damage From A Lawn Sprinkler System

If you have discovered water in your basement as a result of a faulty sprinkler system than immediately turn the water off and call a local water damage restoration company. They will be able to remove any standing water, determine how bad the water damage is and quickly dry any wet dry wall, carpet or other water damaged materials.

The water that enters a basement from saturated soil typically enters the home through cracks in the wall, rod holes or the floor joint. It may become important to remove some dry wall to uncover where the water damage has come from so a repair can be made in the basement that can prevent future flooding. If the water damage is extensive and covers a large area in the basement it may require costly water damage repair. At this point it would be advisable to contact your insurance company for coverage.

Does Insurance Cover Water Damage From A Lawn Sprinkler System

If your lawn sprinkler system breaks or malfunctions and floods your basement with water, insurance coverage may be available for the water damage cleanup and repairs. It is determined by where the break is and how it got into the home.

For instance, if the break in your system is outside the home in the soil or the plumbing attached to the home and makes its way into the basement, you are not going to be covered under the typical homeowner’s insurance policy. If however the break is in the inside plumbing of the home and comes directly from the break into the basement than this is always a covered water loss.

If you have water damage from a lawn sprinkler system, call Action Extraction for a free inspection or for tips on how to clean up after water damage.