A house is one of the number one investments that you could make in your lifetime. As a way to secure that investment, you should vigilantly keep an eye outside for household mishaps and address them before they do any harm to your property.
If left unattended, residential water damage can detrimentally impact the foundation or spawn other complications, such as mold that introduces a health risk to inhabitants.
Here are several ways to identify water damage within your house.
Checking The Floors
No matter what type of flooring you have, it’s eventually going to create water damage. If it penetrates into the carpet, be wary of damp spots, gradual rises, soft spots or the odor of mold and dampness. Next, begin searching for stains.
Look For Stains
Uncommon stains can indicate there is a leaky pipe or drain inside the wall. Bubbling or peeling paint is another sign of water within wall spaces.
Inspect Outside
What you want to start looking for are pools of standing water (ponding) that can indicate that you do not have the right amount of drainage in the yard, gutter spouts that aren’t transporting water far enough from the house or leaky rain gutters. Any of the issues might threaten the foundation of your house.
Furthermore, typical signs of water damage to the roof may come from water ponding which may lead to water leaking from seepage on flat roofs and cracked, curly or missing shingles; or broken flashing on others.
Watch For Rust And Mold
Examine your water heater and look out for rust on the tank or even damp areas across the floor. A tank may indicate a gradual leak. Moreover, rust around pipe connections might be caused by water seepage. Visual signs of active mildew development mean moisture is contacting mildew spores, often in the nooks and crannies of someone’s home.
Finally, do not depend just on what you see. If water ceases to flow, mold and bacteria can rise, making a musty, unpleasant scent which your olfactory system will surely detect.