What is Water damage?
Water damage primarily refers to the loss of water as a result of water intrusion into areas where it would create an assault on a material or a system with the aid of processes that might ruin the system, such as steel rusting, wood rotting, delamination of plywood, etc. If it isn’t handled right away, it might grow mold. A burst pipe or even floods can cause instant damage, or it might happen gradually over time like water spots that can obliterate a surface. The best advice is to have specialists fix water damage as soon as possible.
Early signs of Water Damage.
Time is extremely crucial when it comes to preventing excessive water damage. Even though you can repair water damage by professionals, keeping an eye out for the earliest indicators helps nip the problem in the bud.
The most obvious and early signs of water damage are visible on the surfaces of the house i.e. the floor, ceilings and walls. This may show itself as dark or wet spots and changes to the drywall and wearing off of the paint. Alterations caused by water damage include cracking and flaking drywall or paint bubbling from the water. You may view large pools of water or even something as small as a moist carpet. Most importantly, if you notice a spike in your water bill or other utility bills, check for water damage quickly and repair water damage by professionals without wasting a second.
Sneaky Signs of Water Damage
This part of the article discusses each indication of water damage in more detail; the more aware and knowledgeable you are about an issue like water damage, the quicker you can gain the resources to fix it.
1. Sounds of Dripping water: This is one of the earliest signs of water and also the only one which is heard before it is seen. If you hear things like dripping water, faucets which are leaking, creaky floorboards or the faint sound of rushing water, you may have water damage issues. These sounds may have been heard before, too, but if they start occurring more often or if you start hearing new sounds of water from other areas, you should be quick to act on it.
2. Pools and Puddles: Pools of water get accumulated at places where water has been dripping for a while. Of course, you can clean up the puddle and let it go for the first time, but if this problem persists and you find yourself cleaning many more puddles, it’s best to check for water damage.
3. Mold Formation: Mold is a kind of airborne fungus. It is found in places with excess dampness and consistent moisture. Any surface which remains damp could develop mold. Mold usually appears blue, green or black. It appears fuzzy and may also grow out of sight, like under the carpets, behind bathroom tiles, basements – basically anywhere with excess moisture.
4. Damp, musty of Moldy smell: The smell of dampness and mold is not something you can miss easily. If you persistently smell something like old cardboards or wet newspaper, you probably have mold which is an indicator of water damage.
5. Damaged Exterior Walls: Walk around the exterior of our house and check the roof for damages; it could be cracked, missing shingles or sound creaky. If you notice stagnant water anywhere outside your house, it could be a sign of water damage because of an inadequate drainage system or damaged gutters. It’s best to live in a house which is situated at the highest point of a property with the grounds sloping away from the house.
6. Damaged Flooring: Flooring starts showing signs of water damage in places that are not used much. Saturated foundation or leaky pipes can cause the water to seep into the floor. Tiles could also loosen because of this and wood and linoleum could start warping.
7. Noisy Water Inlets: If there is a noise of water running even after you’ve turned the taps off, there is a chance of water leakage. The water hammer is a very frequently observed issue which occurs because the high pressure in the pipes causes the water to search for a place to escape which makes it bang against the pipe’s walls. It’s a noticeable sound and generally occurs only after the faucets have been turned off. Another noise you could hear is whistling from the plumbing systems. This could be either by whistling in the pipe system or by whistling in faucets and valves. Water damage because of inlets doesn’t have to be massive; it could be a worn washer or a loose brass screw or even grimy aerator inside the faucet. If just one or two faucets are making the whistling noise when they run, it could be because of a washer that is worn off, brass screws that have become loose or mechanical issues inside the faucet itself.
8. Sudden rise in utility and water bill: A commonly ignored indication is rise in bill amounts. If your water bill has a sudden increase, there’s a very high possibility that there’s water leaking in your house which you aren’t even using. You need to review your bill and compare it to previous bills
Conclusion
Checking and fixing water damage requires special equipment which you may not be able to acquire at short notice, but you can easily check for smells and other visible signs yourself every few months. Mold is very risky for your health and ignoring signs of water damage can lead to a lot of risk to life and property. Therefore, it is best to repair the water damage by a professional without wasting time, because even though the early indications of water damage may seem harmless, they do contribute to harm which may not even be visible to the naked eye.
Author Bio:-
Aimee Grace
Aimee is a marketing manager at EZ Plumbing & Restoration. She is very passionate in writing about discrete plumbing services and leakage detection as well as repair solutions. Her vision is to educate people about the consequences of water and slab leaks at home or office and what they should do to repair them to avoid further water damage as well as property damage.
Innovations have paved a way for smart devices to lead a convenient life. The plumbing industry is no different but only few people know about various tools used to fix the leakages. Stay tuned with the recent articles to know all about how to find water damage, slab leak, clogging, and ways to repair them, installation of new HVAC appliances in San Diego.
