There is no end to the destruction water damage can cause to your home. Water damage can be an annoying and expensive problem to repair once the damage is done. Things as destructive as raging floods from natural disasters, large pipes exploding, or even those agitating little pipe leaks can cause damage in your home. Water staring in one place in your home can spread and inadvertently damage other areas and items in your home. A busted pipe or a slow undetected leak in your bathroom can easily seep through the wall and damage the floor in your bedroom. This can ruin wood, carpet, tile, baseboards or anything that can absorb water. Just think how upsetting it would be if your photo albums or favorite books were damaged from water seeping into your bedroom? This is just one scenario of the damage water can do. It can take days and hundreds or even thousands of dollars to repair damage.
Some types of water damage such as a flood from a hurricane are almost never preventable. Many other types of water damage in your home that can be avoided if you would only use a few preventative measures. One way to prevent water damage from ever happening is through regular routine inspections of certain things in your home. These are the places from which your sources of water emanate. Taking the time to do these checks can stop any water damage problems before they begin. If you were to find any water damage problems beginning you will be very glad you did this inspection. It is the only way to ensure that there are no little unexpected surprises just waiting to happen.
The best place to start is by making a list of all the places water comes into and goes out of your home, including the roof and basement. If you do not have a basement, the crawlspace underneath your home is also a possible source for water problems. When your list is complete, start at the top of your home, the attic, and work your way down. In an attic, you can look for discolored or damp spots on the roof beams, wood ceiling, studs, floor, or in the insulation. Many times there will be a damp musty smell if there has been wetness present for very long. The best time to inspect an attic is when it is raining and you can catch a water leak from the roof in progress.
Inside the living quarters of the house, check all pipe connections and look for any signs that water has leaked and dried up. This means bath tubs, showers, and underneath bathroom and kitchen sinks, and dishwashers. Do not forget the water connections and drainage hose on the washing machine, the water line to the refrigerator if it has one, and hot water heater connections.
Underneath the house you can use a flood light or large flash light if there is no light under there to look for potential problems. Look out for pipes that might be leaking or spraying on anything made of wood. This can cause some really expensive structural damage. It can also cause some nasty and hazardous mold growth.
The last item on the list to check is probably the outside spigots and sprinklers. Look for any wetness when the sprinklers and spigots have not been used recently. If there is excess wetness especially near the foundation of the house make the required repairs so that any water damage can be avoided.
Regularly scheduled inspections can prevent water damage to your home.
Insurance Claims Water Damage
Noticing a hole in your roof can be a harsh awakening. Envisage heading up to your attic and noticing that water has entered the attic from this aperture in the roof. Now mull over about the insane price it will necessitate to repair the roof and the water damage caused by the leak. This unpleasant circumstance can be nothing but a commercial nightmare if you take on steps to avert this issue. Make sure that this does not transpire to you if you plan for a daily period to check your attic for issues before they get worse. Simply having a concentrated gaze around in your attic on a frequent basis is a sound way to thwart lots of water damage and the overpriced restoration repairs that come with it.
Decide on a time to check your attic for leaks in the roof at a time it is precipitating. You can notice the water dripping in and therefore find out exactly where the leak derives from. The leaking ordinarily begins with tiles that have shaken loose or have been swept off from either bad climate or imperfect set up. But even if you have a new roof, it is still shrewd to take examinations habitually just in case anything was not finalized right and a problem region could arise. If you detect a leak quickly it will be very painless to repair.
If you come upon a leaky area soon enough, any actual water damage may have been averted. The solution could be as trouble-free as sticking a few unfastened tiles or if the tar paper under is in bad form, a section of this could entail replacing as well. If the job has progressed past this, it could possibly be needed to remove a sizeable piece of the roof .This would involve replacing not merely the tar paper and tiles, but the wooden parts in addition, if the wood has gotten wet many times and has began to decay.
It may be feasible to fix the roof yourself if you are not afraid of heights and are somewhat handy around the residence. You might merely be fit to take away a portion of roof. This may also demand replacing the plywood, tar paper, and tiles. Always consider that working on a roof is pretty dangerous. You ought to be understanding that your insurance company could prefer you to charter an expert so they think the task was done suitably. They may not care to be accountable for any potential injuries or medical bills either. If you do take a stab at the repairs on your own, be certain you begin fast and will have a day or two of sunny skies before you do initiate the repairs, depending on the degree of the repair. If you understand that your roof is aging or if you realize it has several leaks, your wisest backup plan may be to have the total cmmercial roof redone. If there is no damage to the wood below the shingles, get ecstatic as this will be less costly than sitting still and later having to exchange all the wood as well.
Both Richard Barthallo & Luana Pershing are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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