Floods caused by heavy rain, inadequate drainage, a broken pipe or sump pump are obvious sources of water damage. However, any form of continuous moisture in the home can also be the cause of major and long-term water damage if not addressed immediately.
Water is everywhere
Externally, your home is exposed to a continuous onslaught of moisture from rain, to snow, to ice. The roofs, walls, windows and grouts are all subject to the weather. Even the ground surrounding your home can lead moisture to the house's foundation.
Internally, within the walls and ceilings of your home, lies a complex plumbing network and drainage system that runs water from the kitchen to the bathrooms and down to the basement. Under the basement lies the sump pit, where rain flow caught by grouts and house drainage are channeled. If these home fixtures that come in contact with moisture are not properly maintained, all are potential sources of water damage.
Moisture leads to problems
Though continuous exposure to moisture might not sweep your house and its insides away, the dampened areas will likely lead to other problems like rotting, termites, and mold infestation, all of which contribute to the weakening of your home's structure. Unfortunately, it might not be too obvious until it's too late.
See the signs
Be observant. It might take a while to train your eyes (and mind) to not ignore signs of moisture build-up, but persistent maintenance of your home is the key to preventing water damage.
Signs to look out for are drips, leaks, moist surfaces like moist walls, ceilings, and floors, water stains, molds and mildew, and even the sound of dripping or gushing within your walls. Most of us are used to seeing molds under the sink, or listening to a dripping shower, but again, teach yourself to know that this is not the way it should be. Your home should be a dry, well-ventilated living space with no room for unintended moisture.
Areas prone to moisture
The areas of a home where moisture usually builds-up are the high traffic water areas such as under the kitchen sink or dishwasher, around the kitchen sink, the bathroom sinks, toilets and bathtubs, the washing machine pipes, under the washing machine, and the grouts. These are areas which most people are familiar with and associate with water flow.
The not so obvious areas are loosened shingles on the roof, breaks in the window seals, pinhole leaks behind walls and in the ceiling, cracks in the bathroom tiles or loosened bathroom tiles, the water heater, the sump pump, behind your refrigerator, under your stove, and even ground reformation that leads rain water towards instead of from the home.
Again, water damage prevention relies heavily on the power of observation and the ability to act quickly on these observations once maintenance is known to be needed. Flood aside, if regular repair and maintenance is performed, the results should lead to the notable and rewarding longevity of your home.
Many causes for water flooding at the basement and water damage can be cited. Usually the water clogging occurs by busted small pumps or pipes that are frozen. Well, the insurance company definitely rescues you in water damage control but the point is a lot depends on the way in which the water damage claim is informed in the insurance company. So, you have to be well informed on this aspect and value the property and house with the help of a reputed insurance agent.
It must be noted that not everything that comes under water damage can be claimed at the insurance company and it differs a lot from the common understanding and reality. So, in order to avoid any confusion and last minute doubts, it is better to be informed on the procedure and policies ahead of time. Instead of waiting it to happen, talk to the house owner and the insurance company to know what exactly is included and under what conditions.
The terminologies and the rules can vary based on the circumstances. For instance, if it is raining heavily and the sub pump at the basement is unable to control the water entry, then it is taken into account as a flood and you can claim insurance for this only if it is covered for flood insurance. Strangely, flood insurance does not take into consideration of mold attack even if this happens because of the water damage. Mold attack is classified as secondary damage and according to the insurance companies, it is the responsibility of the house owner to improve the conditions and take care of it well in advance.
Secondary water damage can be prevented by extracting the water from the carpet, basement and install air movers and dehumidifiers to fully remove the water. Extraction process is more efficient that air removers and it takes less time. The role of the air removers is to evaporate the water and convert it from solid to vapor form. Meanwhile the dehumidifiers eliminate the vapor lingering in the air by applying a pressure and transforming it in to water. This cyclic process continues till the water is fully removed from the basement.
Once the extraction is carried out, it must be followed with dehumidifiers for about 3 days to eradicate every droplet of water. After ensuring that the place is totally dry, hire the services of IICRC certified firm to clean the areas affected by water damage. It must be noted that there are actually three different types of water and the impact and damage caused by each category is different.
The first type of water also referred to as clean water as such is not toxic and harmful but this develops molds and becomes a threat if the water stands for long at conducive temperature breeding more molds. It usually originates from rain water, broken pipe and leaking appliance. This water gets contaminated when it comes in contact with the floor, soil and rugged materials damaged by water.
Type 2 water, gray water is relatively harmful and the extent of toxicity depends on length of time and temperature to which it is subjected in the affected area. It might cause mild irritation to health disorder. Source of this water is water overflowing from washing machine and dish washer.
Black water is the third type of water and this highly toxic water comes from sewage and sea water that contains harmful contaminants. It causes severe illness. This water should neither be consumed nor exposed.
Both Isolde Werry & Charmaine Pierce 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.
Isolde Werry has sinced written about articles on various topics from Home, Carpet Cleaning and Upholstery and Pets. Isolde Werry shares info on flooding and fire for and. Isolde Werry's top article generates over 22200 views. to your Favourites.
Charmaine Pierce has sinced written about articles on various topics from Home, Sewage and Home Management. Charmaine Pierce distributes information on water issues for and. Charmaine Pierce's top article generates over 90500 views. to your Favourites.