In 1978, Harold Kushner penned the groundbreaking book “When Bad Things Happen to Good People”. “When Bad Things Happen to Good People” is a discussion on theodicy, the nature of evil, and the existence of suffering. It is a book that has provided comfort to millions worldwide. It is the kind of comfort many homeowners seek when things like water damage, sewage backup , mold, or even fire damage happen to their home. 911 Restoration New Jersey is there to provide you with the best water damage restoration services and fire damage restoration services. Unlike the paradox of theodicy, however, we can also provide concrete reasons why water damage happens, and, unlike evil and suffering, there are actual practical steps you can take to avoid water damage in your life.

Man’s Eternal Struggle With Nature

The number one cause of water damage is nature itself — usually, nature that comes in the form of soaking, drenching rains and storms. There is no way man can control the weather. You are not Gandalf. You cannot stand out in the rain, dressed in a grey robe, holding a wizard’s staff, yelling at the thunder and lighting, “YOU SHALL NOT PASS!” If you do that your neighbors are going to think you are weird and wrong, or worse they will assume that you are a less than awesome wizard. There are some things you can do to limit storm caused water damage:

• Install sump pumps in your basement. A sump pump will reduce or prevent basement flooding.
• Waterproof your basement. Water proofing your basement will help reduce basement floods and water damage.
• Fix leaks in your roof. A leaky roof equals water damage in your attic and water damage in your walls. If your roof is beyond repair, get it replaced. The average lifespan of a roof is twenty years old.
• Clean your gutters monthly. Clogged gutters means water gets trapped and that trapped water can seep into your roof or walls.

Man’s Eternal Struggle With … Plumbing

Any water damage New Jersey company will say that running water is a building block of civilization. It is right up there with democracy, soap, and the Xbox. But leaky plumbing and running water have vexed man since the beginning of time. In the time of the Roman aqueducts, a Roman homeowner sauntered into his vomitorium after a 12 hour feast, only to find water damage on the walls. He no doubt muttered an obscenity in Latin and called the Roman equivalent of a plumber. How did he call a plumber when the phone hadn’t been invented? Don’t worry about it. You are missing the point of the story.

The point being is that poorly maintained plumbing is a direct cause of water damage. A large percentage of the calls our water damage New Jersey team respond to are calls for water damage restoration caused by leaky pipes, pipe bursts, and poorly maintained plumbing. How do you prevent water damage from dripping pipes? The answer is pretty simple. Inspect your pipes frequently. If you find a leaky pipe make sure you fix it. This seems obvious but so many people glance under their sink, see a leaky pipe, and then go, Eh, I am going to grab a burrito and watch a marathon of NCIS. A year later they come back to discover that their sink cabinet is damaged almost beyond repair by leaking water. So fix leaks, even small leaks, as they happen or as you find them. That burrito can wait and so can NCIS. They’ll be another marathon next Saturday.

And Sometimes Bad Things Just Happen

Sometimes the Great Magnet spins the Great Wheel of Time and the Great Needle on the Great Wheel of Time lands on “flooded basement”. You couldn’t stop it, even if you tried. Bad things just happen and there isn’t a good explanation. When those times come knocking at your door our water damage New Jersey techs are standing by to help you.