Disaster Recovery Inc

Emergency Water Damage, Mold & Sewage Cleanup in Rutland County, Vermont

3224 U.S. 7 Pittsford, VT, 05763 United States

Call 877-765-6340 or 802-483-9552 for immediate service

How to Prepare Your Home for Water Damage in Vermont

Preparing your home for water damage is especially important in Vermont, where freezing temperatures, heavy snow, and older homes can increase the risk of burst pipes and flooding. Taking a few simple steps now can help prevent costly damage and protect your home.

Why Preparation Matters

• Prevent costly water damage repairs
• Reduce the risk of mold growth
• Protect your home during Vermont winters
• Be ready in case of an emergency

Simple Steps to Prepare Your Home

• Know where your main water shut-off is located  
• Keep gutters and downspouts clear of debris  
• Insulate exposed pipes in colder areas of your home  
• Check appliances and hoses for leaks or wear  
• Have a plan in place if water damage occurs

No homeowner can completely avoid property damage, but taking the right steps ahead of time can reduce the severity of damage and protect your home and family. In Vermont, risks like frozen pipes, heavy snow, and aging homes make preparation especially important.

6 Ways to Prepare Your Home for Property Damage

How to Prepare Your Home for Property Damage in Vermont

Preparing your home for water damage, mold, and other property-related issues is especially important in Vermont, where freezing temperatures, heavy snow, and aging homes can increase the risk of damage. Taking a few simple steps ahead of time can help reduce costly repairs and protect your home and family.

Why Preparation Matters

No homeowner can completely avoid unexpected property damage, but being prepared can make a significant difference in how severe the damage becomes and how quickly recovery can happen.

Preparation can help:

• Reduce repair costs
• Prevent mold growth
• Protect your belongings
• Improve safety during emergencies

6 Ways to Prepare Your Home for Property Damage

1. Protect Your Plumbing

If you live in an older home, inspect exposed pipes—especially in basements, crawl spaces, and exterior walls. These areas are more vulnerable to freezing during Vermont winters.

• Insulate exposed pipes
• Open cabinet doors during cold weather
• Let faucets drip during extreme temperatures

2. Keep Up with Home Maintenance

Regular maintenance helps prevent unexpected failures.

• Inspect appliances and hoses
• Replace worn connections
• Service boilers, furnaces, and chimneys annually

3. Know Your Insurance Coverage

Many homeowners are unaware of what their policy actually covers.

• Review your policy regularly
• Understand coverage limits
• Consider flood insurance if applicable

4. Keep an Inventory of Your Belongings

Documenting your possessions can make the claims process much easier in the event of a loss.

• Keep a simple list or spreadsheet
• Take photos of valuable items
• Store records in a safe place

5. Have a Family Emergency Plan

Make sure everyone in your household knows what to do in an emergency.

• Create and practice a fire escape plan
• Test smoke alarms regularly
• Keep emergency contacts accessible

6. Store Belongings Properly

Protect items from potential water damage.

• Use shelving to keep items off the floor
• Store items in plastic containers
• Avoid placing valuables in flood-prone areas

Common Causes of Property Damage in Vermont

Homeowners in Vermont frequently experience:

• Frozen and burst pipes
• Basement flooding
• Ice dams and roof leaks
• Appliance failures
• Mold growth

Understanding these risks can help you stay ahead of potential problems.

What to Do If Damage Occurs

If your home experiences damage:

  1. Stop the source if possible

  2. Shut off utilities if necessary

  3. Avoid contaminated areas

  4. Call a professional restoration company immediately

Quick action can prevent further damage and reduce long-term issues.

Service Areas

Disaster Recovery Inc provides cleanup and restoration services throughout Vermont, including Rutland, Pittsford, Killington, Woodstock, Ludlow, Brandon, Middlebury, and surrounding areas.

Call for Help

If you experience water damage or other property issues, call 802-483-9552 for fast, reliable service.

24/7 Emergency Response Available1. Protect your plumbing. If you live in an older home, take the time before a cold snap to get an eye on all of your plumbing, and identify the cold spots in your home. Exposed plumbing in your basement and pipes that line exterior walls may be subject to freezing up in temperatures below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Find all of the areas that may be exposed to colder temperatures in the wintertime, purchase some cheap foam pipe insulation from your local hardware store, and make an effort to protect those pipes. For kitchen sinks or sinks that sit at an exterior wall, a simple way to keep warm air circulating around those pipes is to open the cabinet doors and expose them to the warmth of the home. On particularly cold evenings, leave your sinks trickling just a small amount overnight, it will keep water flowing through the plumbing and make it more difficult to freeze up.

2. Keep up with home maintenance. As appliances, plumbing, and home heating elements get older, they need to be properly maintained to ensure they function efficiently. Appliances such as dishwashers, refrigerators, stoves, washing machines, and dryers all need to be cared for and used properly to extend the life of the appliance and prevent malfunction. Dishwashers should be cleaned regularly and the wiring and plumbing need to be examined by a professional every few years to avoid clogged drains and disconnected or corroded water supply hoses. Depending on the type of refrigerator you own, they need proper ventilation and the supply lines are fragile and may need to be replaced. If you own a “high efficiency” (HE) washing machine, you need to be using detergents rated for HE machines to avoid clogging up the system, and drain hoses and supply hoses need to be working properly to avoid leaking. If you have a wood stove, pellet stove, or heating elements that require a chimney, you should have the chimney cleaned at least once annually. Furnaces and boilers also need annual check-ups and maintenance. Making sure your appliances, plumbing, and heating methods are properly cared for can not only prevent tragic losses, but can also extend the life of these essential functions of the home.

3. Know your coverage. Plenty of homeowners are unaware of the extent of damages their insurance covers. Most basic coverage plans do not cover flooding of the home. Don’t wait until you have a loss to know what your insurance covers. Find out what damages you need to prioritize and make sure your insurance covers them. If you live in a state prone to annual flooding, get Flood Insurance.

4. Keeping an inventory of your possessions. An average of 50% of homeowners in the U.S. keep documentation of their possessions to provide to their insurance company in the event of a loss. Keeping a simple spreadsheet list of your belongings and their values will be very helpful should you experience a large loss such as a home fire or water damage.

5. Having a fire plan for your family. Only 52% of families in the U.S. have a fire escape plan. Out of that percentage, 15% test their alarms monthly and 16% practice their escape plan twice a year. It is important to have a fire escape plan that your family practices as often as you can and that every member of the family understands clearly. Fire escape plans and properly maintained smoke alarms are shown to cut down the risk of injury or death in a house fire by half.

6. Staging your belongings to avoid damage. It may be easier to run down into the basement and throw a cardboard box full of books or clothes onto the floor, but what happens to unprotected boxes like that in the event of a water loss such as flooding? The ideal way to store belongings would be shelving or water-proof containers. A simple shelving system that keeps cardboard and other absorbent materials off of the floor could save lots of time and money if your basement experiences a small flood. If some things cannot be stored on shelves, plastic totes may also be used to protect your possessions.

Keep your family safe and prepare in all the ways you can for property damage losses. Disaster Recovery Inc provides emergency water mitigation, fire damage restoration, mold remediation, demolition, emergency board-ups, and temporary roof patching throughout Vermont.

If you experience damage in your home, call us at 802-483-9552 for fast, reliable service.

Statistics acquired from:

https://www.iii.org/fact-statistic/facts-statistics-homeowners-and-renters-insurance

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1820426/