How To Check Water Damage At Home?

You might have heard a sad story of a friend or a neighbor who came home after vacation and found their house inundated with puddles of water. It is scarier even to imagine the situation in which they might have found their place. How and what to check for this possible water damage in your home? Water causing damage to the floor and belongings is an emotionally traumatic experience.

What Are The Reasons For Water Damage?

Water damage can occur for many reasons; it could be a burst pipe, a faucet left working in the kitchen, a blockage in the drains, or an overflowing bathtub. The reasons and situations can vary, but in any case, you are left with the ugly task of cleaning the damage caused by water. Water can lead to many ugly issues and costly repairs due to damage to the structure, floors, and walls. You might be looking at expenses such as floor replacement, retiling in the washroom or kitchen, or freshening the paint in your house.

Because of all these reasons, water damage is categorized as one of the most costly claims reported by homeowners. Once you have water in the house, you can still contain the issue by quick actions. With prompt action, you have more chances of salvaging your belongings such as furniture, fixture, carpeting, etc. If you are not a professional at fixing the water damage, the least you can do is call a water damage expert to look at the issue. They have years of experience and highly accurate technology and devices to see water penetration into the floors and walls. With the help of an expert, water damage cleanup will be more efficient and quick. Moreover, you can also ensure that your house is in expert hands. Overall, here is what you must check when dealing with water damage in the home.

4 Things To Check When Dealing With Water Damage At Home

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Check The Source Of Water Damage

The first thing you can do when dealing with water damage is to check the water source causing the damage. You might not be able to do anything if water is penetrating the house due to a heavy downpour. But if it is due to a leaking pipe, a dripping faucet, and faulty electrical appliances, things are very much in your control. When the problem is an internal issue, you must not waste time locating the main water supply. The water main is supplying water to all the lines spread around your house. Once you shut off the main, water won’t reach the damaged pipes.

Moreover, you must also drain the water in lines connected to the ruptured pipe or a dysfunctional electrical appliance. To do so, turn on all the faucets in the kitchen and bathroom and drain all the water. If you don’t want to waste time turning off the water source, make sure you know the location of the water primary in your house.

Also Check: If A Water Main Bursts, What Do You Do? (Until The Plumber Arrives)

Call Your Insurance

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Water damage recovery is a costly procedure; people often report spending thousands of dollars doing expensive repairs due to damage to property and belongings. Therefore, the only way to reduce and share this burden is by calling your house insurance company and file for a claim. Not all policies cover water damage restoration in the house; therefore, it is crucial to ensure that you do. Generally, the company sends their representative to look at the damage in your home and decide if they intend to cover it or not. The longer you delay checking the details with the company, the fewer chances you might have to get a claim as they might not be willing to compensate for an aggravated issue due to your negligence.

Also Read: How Can We Reduce the Effects of Flood Damage

Check For The Growth Of Mold

Mold proliferation is a serious issue associated with water damage. As soon as you suspect a leaking pipe, check for the presence of mold around that area. Mold can grow on the walls and other places within twenty-four to forty-eight hours and start staining the walls and your belongings. The mold colonies will continue to grow as long as they receive the proper moisture and temperature conditions. You will see the fondness of mold for wood and drywall in no time. Mold can result in health issues; for instance, floating spores can cause skin irritations, runny nose, and other respiratory problems.

If you take the help of water damage experts, they have the right equipment to check mold penetration, remove moisture from walls and floors, get rid of debris and wet objects, dispose of porous material, and much more. They also have commercial aerators and dehumidifiers to dry out the air to ensure the humidity level comes back to normal and prevent further mold growth.

Also Read: The Importance of Basement Waterproofing Services

Drains And Downspouts Are Not Blocked

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Drains and downspouts are also part of the plumbing system in your house. Also, drains take the dirty water while downspouts bring water from the roof. Water damage also occurs due to a blockage in the drains or the downspouts. Water can no longer flow if a jam occurs due to sediments, broken objects, leaves, grease, hair, or other things. Clogged water in the drains can penetrate the foundations due to cracks in the floor. On the contrary, if downspouts are blocked, they won’t take water away from the house; hence puddles of water can inundate your roof. Therefore, make sure nothing is blocking water flow in these structures.

Also Read: Importance Of Home Inspection Before Buying Or Selling A House

Conclusion

Water damage is containable if you quickly stop the flow of water. A laidback and neglectful behavior can cause a lot of damage to your property and hurt your pocket too. Moreover, it is better to call a professional’s help instead of aggravating the problem with trial and error, ultimately delaying the restoration process. Once you have water damage in your house, check the abovementioned things to help contain the issue and get a prompt solution.

If we’ve missed a few tips that you think are worth mentioning, feel free to add them to the comment section below.

Also Check: Understand 4 Main Concepts of Basement Waterproofing Systems

Images by İbrahim Hakkı Uçman, OctoptimistMART PRODUCTION

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