How to Keep Flood Waters Out of the House

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Keeping floodwater out of your home is essential to preserving your home from the destruction caused by flooding. While there is no surefire way to guard against flooding, you can improve your home's chances of surviving intact.

Step 1

Seal all of the air bricks in your home. Use a special flood prevention sealant, such as Flood Sentry, to accomplish this task. Be sure when putting these seals on your home that you don't leave any gaps. In fact, each one can overlay the other to eliminate any gaps between the seals on the brick. These seals easily peel off once the water has receded.

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Step 2

Place flood barriers against all doors and windows of the home. You can purchase these barriers at a number of home improvement retailers as well as any online flood barrier retailer. They provide an airtight seal around doors and windows to prevent floodwaters from seeping into the home.

Step 3

Plug sinks and drains. Floodwater can seep in through sinks and drains, so to force the water to flow back toward its original destination, plug every sink and drain in your home. Commercial grade plugs are best because they expand to fit the size of the pipe.

Step 4

Place a wall of sandbags around the perimeter of your home. Many people make the mistake of putting sandbags directly against the foundation of the home, but you want to keep the waters from ever reaching your foundation. So while this safeguard is extremely labor-intensive, stack sandbags several yards away from the structure of your home, piling them a few feet above the anticipated level of the flood waters. Be sure to line the full perimeter of your home so water doesn't sneak in elsewhere.

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