Heavy summer storms and creek overflow are the water calls this town receives most often, and most of the losses start with something that could have been checked earlier: a worn garage seal, a clogged gutter or a vent under a wet yard. This checklist runs through the steps before, during and after a storm.
Key takeaways
- Check the garage door seal and the threshold before the summer storms begin.
- Clear the gutters and point the downspouts away from the foundation.
- Keep crawl-space vents and window wells clear of mulch, leaves and soil.
- Know where the main, the garage circuit and the panel are, and keep the power safe during a storm.
- Photograph the water line and the room before moving anything, and note the time.
- Check the house again after the rain stops, because water can keep coming from the ground.
What should be checked before the summer storms?
The garage door seal, the threshold, the gutters and the grade should be checked before the first heavy storm, while there is time to fix what is found.
A garage door seal wears over time, and a worn seal lets storm water under the door. A threshold that has settled or cracked does the same. Replacing the seal is a door company's job, and it is cheap compared with a garage loss.
Gutters that are full of leaves overflow onto the same few feet of soil each storm, and that soil stays saturated after the rain stops. Clearing the gutters and pointing the downspouts away from the foundation are the simplest steps on this list.
Are the vents, the window wells and the slab joints clear?
Crawl-space vents, window wells and slab joints are common entry points for storm water. Keeping them clear of mulch, soil and leaves keeps the water from finding them.
A crawl-space vent that is buried in mulch or soil lets the ground water sit against the foundation and enter the vent. Keep the vents open and the mulch pulled back from them, and check the vents after each heavy rain.
A window well full of leaves drains against the glass and the sill. A cover or a drain at the bottom of the well helps, and the well should be cleared before each season. The slab joint along the outside wall should be checked for cracks that look wet after a storm.
How is the grade and the drainage checked?
The soil should slope away from the house, and the low corner of the lot should be known. A low spot against the wall is where the water collects in a storm.
Soil that has settled against the wall holds water against the foundation, and a low spot near the wall is where the water stands. Filling and regrading are landscaping jobs, and the checklist only notes where the problem is.
The low corner of the lot is the place to watch in a heavy storm. Knowing where it is before the storm lets the household move valuables and check the room first.
What should the household do during a storm?
Move valuables off the floor of the garage and the lower room, keep the power to any wet area off and stay out of standing water.
Boxes, papers and any item on the floor of the garage or the lower room should be moved to a higher shelf or upstairs if there is time. The most important papers and the family's photographs go first, since they cannot be replaced from the same copy.
If water is coming under the garage door or through the slab, the garage circuit should be turned off at the panel if the panel is dry and reachable. If not, stay out of the room and call the power company from outside.
What should be photographed after a storm?
The water line, the room, the damaged items and the outside of the house, with the time and date of each photograph.
Photographs of the outside show the grade, the downspouts and the window wells as they were during the storm. Photographs of the inside show the water line on the wall, the items on the floor and the state of the carpet and the slab edge.
Each photograph should be kept with its date. The record is the first thing an insurer asks for, and clear photographs taken before the clean-up are worth more than a description written later.
What should be checked in the days after a storm?
The house should be checked again after the rain stops, because water can keep coming from the ground for a day or more.
A damp line on the wall that appears a day after the storm is a sign that water is still moving through the wall or the slab. The garage door seal and the vents should be checked again, and any new smell or stain noted.
The household should note any new stain, any change to the carpet and any smell. Those notes help the restoration work plan the drying and show the insurer the full path of the water.
When should the line be called?
Call as soon as water is in the house, even if it is small, and call before any repair is made to the wall, the slab or the drain.
A small amount of water that is still coming in is a reason to call, because the entry may still be open. A wet wall or a damp carpet that does not dry in a day is also a reason to call, and it is better to have readings taken early than to close a wall that is still wet.
The call should say where the water came from, how it arrived and what has already been done. Those facts let the first questions be answered quickly.
How is the checklist kept?
A printed copy by the door, with the location of the main, the panel and the garage circuit, keeps the steps ready when the storm arrives.
A household that has the locations and the steps written down can start the first steps in the first minute. The note should be checked each spring, since the locations are easy to forget and the people in a house change.
Keep the number of the line with the note. The line is answered 24/7, and the questions are the ones on the checklist, so the call is faster when the answers are at hand.
Which storms bring the most water?
The long, steady storms saturate the ground, and the short, intense storms overwhelm the drains and the window wells. Both can cause a loss, and each calls for a slightly different check.
A long storm tends to raise the ground water around the foundation over hours, which pushes harder on the slab edge and the walls. The garage door and the slab joint are the places to watch. A short intense storm fills the street drains and the window wells quickly, so the vents and the window wells are the places to watch.
A household that knows which kind of storm is coming can focus its checks, and the checklist works for both kinds with the order changed.
What should a household do when a storm is forecast?
When heavy storms are forecast, a short set of steps prepares the house in an hour. Move valuables off the garage and lower room floors, clear the window wells and check the sump or the power to the garage.
Park vehicles away from the low spot of the lot, if that is practical, and keep the garage door's controls and the opener out of standing water. Make sure the phone number of the line is known to everyone in the house.
A written note of those steps on the fridge is more useful than a memory of them.
Who handles the drains on the street?
The city and the county maintain the public drains and culverts. The homeowner maintains the drains and the lines on the property, and the plumber handles any blockage on the property.
If a street drain is blocked, the public works office should be told, with the location and the photograph. A blockage on the property is cleared by the plumber, and the record notes what was cleared and when.
What should be done with the outdoor equipment?
Outdoor equipment such as mowers, generators and tools in a garage or shed should be moved off the floor during a heavy storm. A generator should never be run in the garage or near a window.
Anything that has stood in water should be checked before it is started. A mower or a generator that was under water goes to its repair shop first.
A shelf above the floor line keeps tools and small engines out of the first inch of water, and it is a small change that prevents a common loss.
Frequently asked questions
How often should the gutters be cleared?
Before the wet season, and again after heavy leaf fall. A gutter that overflows in a storm is one of the most common sources of water at a foundation.
Should I unplug the sump or the garage circuit in a storm?
Keep any pump running while it is needed, and keep the panel and the outlets safe. Turn off a circuit only if it is wet and reachable from a dry place.
Is it safe to walk into the garage during a storm?
No, not if water is coming in. Standing water near the opener, the outlets or the panel is a shock risk, and the room is checked after the storm.
Do I need a permit to regrade the yard?
Regrading is usually landscaping, but a retaining wall or a change to the drainage may need a permit. Ask the county or the city building department before a structural change.
What should I tell the line when I call?
The street, the floor the water is on, where it came from, how deep it is and what has been done.
What if the storm arrives while I am away?
Ask a neighbor or a caretaker to check the garage and the lower room after the storm, and give them the number of the line and the location of the main.
Do I need to move the car out of a low driveway?
If the driveway floods in a storm, moving the car to higher ground protects it and keeps the garage door free. That is a reasonable step if it can be done safely.
What is the first thing to do when the rain starts in earnest?
Check that the household knows where the power and the main are, and that the window wells and the garage are clear. Then keep out of the lower rooms until the rain has eased.
Sources
This guide is general information for Gwinnett County homeowners, not a substitute for an on-site inspection. Prices are estimates. See our disclaimer.