Inspect Your Roof Before Spring Storm Season
A shingle failure you find in winter costs nothing to fix. The same failure found during the first spring hail event drives water through your ceiling and costs real money. Before storm season, inspect shingles for curl, crack, or missing sections. Check flashing around chimneys, skylights, and roof penetrations, since this is where most roof leak intrusion originates, not from failed shingles. Look at ridge vents and soffit vents for animal intrusion or debris blockage.
Gutters, Drainage, and Creek-Adjacent Properties: What to Check
Clean gutters before spring storm season. Clogged gutters overflow and direct water against foundation walls rather than away from them. Check that downspout extensions deposit water several feet from the foundation. Walk your yard after a moderate rain and observe where water pools. Any pooling close to the foundation creates hydrostatic pressure during major storm events. If your property is near Big Bear Creek or another low-lying area, know your FEMA flood zone designation.
How to Protect Pipes Before a Texas Freeze Event
Texas freeze events arrive with advance warning. The National Weather Service typically issues freeze watches a day or two ahead. When forecast temperatures will drop well below freezing overnight, open cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls, let faucets drip on cold overnight runs, disconnect garden hoses from exterior bibs, and insulate any exposed pipe runs in unheated attic spaces with pipe foam or heat tape. Unheated attic pipe runs are the highest-risk failure point in this region's residential housing stock, and they're the most common cause of the calls our burst pipe water damage team handles each winter.
Signs of Plumbing Weakness in Slab Foundation Homes
Annual plumbing checks catch failures before they become emergency events. Look for corrosion or green discoloration at copper pipe connections under sinks, slow drains that might indicate root intrusion in drain lines, unexplained moisture around the base of toilets or under appliance hoses, and water pressure changes that suggest a developing leak elsewhere in the system. In older housing stock around Old Town Keller, these signals mean the original plumbing is reaching its service life.
What to Do After a Major Rain Event in Keller
After any significant rain event, walk the perimeter of your home and check for pooling near the foundation, look for ceiling discoloration or soft spots that weren't there before, and check under sinks and around appliances for moisture. These checks take five minutes and catch post-storm damage before it becomes a mold event. If you find anything, call for professional moisture assessment before the 24 to 48 hour mold window closes.
An Annual Pre-Storm Checklist for Keller Homeowners
Complete a roof and gutter checklist every winter before spring storm season opens: walk the perimeter and look for missing shingles, damaged flashing, and soffit vent blockages, then clean gutters and confirm downspouts discharge well away from the foundation. Run a second checklist every fall before freeze season: inspect attic pipes for exposed runs and add foam insulation where missing, disconnect garden hoses from all exterior bibs, and schedule HVAC service that includes condensate drain line flushing. Add one item to both checklists: locate and test your main water shutoff at the street meter. Many homeowners discover during a pipe emergency that the meter shutoff is corroded or seized, and a meter key is inexpensive and worth keeping on hand.
Already have water damage from a storm in Keller? Call us at (817) 553-0400 for emergency water damage restoration, 24/7. Prevention is better, but fast response after the fact is the next-best option, anywhere from Hidden Lakes to the rest of Keller.