Module 7 of 7 · Beginner · 7 minutes
Prevention and Home Care
Learn the simple checks and habits that stop most leaks, mold and freeze damage before they ever start.
What You Will Be Able to Do
- Find and test your main water shutoff
- Keep indoor humidity in a range where mold struggles to grow
- Replace the supply lines and hoses that fail most often
- Protect pipes from freezing and thaw one safely
- Build a small kit so you can act in the first hour
Lesson 1
Know Your Shutoff
Most household water damage starts at a handful of parts you can check yourself. The most important one is the main shutoff. Find it, test it twice a year and tape a simple map next to it.
Shut the main off when you leave home for more than a day or two. Put leak sensors under sinks, the water heater and the washer.
Key Points
- Find and test your main shutoff twice a year
- Shut the water off when you travel
- Leak sensors belong under sinks, the washer and the water heater
Lesson 2
Hoses and Supply Lines
Appliance supply lines are under pressure all the time, even when the appliance is off. Rubber washer hoses and plastic toilet nuts are the most common failures.
Replace washer hoses about every five years and check every line once a year. Swap old rubber hoses for braided stainless steel ones.
Key Points
- Supply lines stay under pressure all the time
- Replace washer hoses about every five years
- Braided stainless steel beats old rubber
Lesson 3
Humidity Control
Keep indoor relative humidity between about 30 and 50 percent, and below 60 percent at all times. A cheap hygrometer tells you where you stand. Buy one before you buy a dehumidifier.
Run bath fans during showers and about 20 minutes after. Vent the range hood outside. In cold weather, wet windows mean the house is too humid for the season.
Key Points
- Aim for 30 to 50 percent humidity
- Run bath fans 20 minutes after showers
- Wet windows in winter mean too much humidity
Lesson 4
Bathroom Mold Prevention
Bathroom mold comes back because the room stays wet too long. The lasting fix is a fan that actually vents outside, run for 20 minutes after every shower.
Scrub grout with detergent or an oxygen bleach paste. Black spots under clear caulk cannot be cleaned, so cut the caulk out and recaulk. Mold that returns within weeks can mean a leak behind the tile.
Key Points
- A fan that vents outside is the lasting fix
- Mold under caulk means cut it out and recaulk
- Fast regrowth can point to a hidden leak
Lesson 5
Frozen Pipes
Pipes in outside walls, garages, attics and crawlspaces freeze first. Keep the heat at 55 degrees or higher, open sink cabinets, insulate exposed pipes and let a faucet drip slowly on the coldest nights. Disconnect hoses before the first hard freeze.
To thaw a frozen pipe, open the faucet and use gentle heat like a hair dryer or warm towels, working from the faucet end. Never use a flame. Know where the main shutoff is before you start.
Key Points
- Keep heat at 55 degrees or higher
- Disconnect hoses before the first hard freeze
- Thaw with gentle heat, never a flame
Lesson 6
Basements and Crawlspaces
Most damp basements and crawlspaces are fixed from the outside in. Move roof and surface water away from the foundation first with gutters, downspout extensions and grading.
To tell seepage from condensation, tape a square of plastic to the wall for two days. Water under the plastic is coming through the wall. Water on top is condensation. Cover bare crawlspace dirt with heavy plastic sheeting, lapped and sealed.
Key Points
- Gutters and grading fix many wet basements
- The plastic square test tells seepage from condensation
- Cover crawlspace dirt with sealed plastic sheeting
Lesson 7
Build an Emergency Kit
A good kit lets you stop the water, protect people, remove standing water and start drying within the first hour. That is when most damage can still be prevented.
Tape a shutoff map and the right wrench next to the main valve. A wet dry vacuum and two fans handle most small leaks. Pack gloves, boots and N95s, and keep policy numbers and a home video inventory stored online.
Key Points
- Keep the shutoff tool next to the valve
- A wet dry vacuum and two fans handle most small leaks
- Store policy numbers and a video inventory online
Twice a Year Home Check
Check What You Learned
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