Water damage can be very costly and do a great deal of damage to your property, so you must know how to identify water leaks and take steps to prevent them.
Here are some tips on identifying potential sources of water leakage in your home or business:
- Check for visible signs of moisture around the exterior walls including dark spots or soft areas on the drywall, bubbling paint or wallpaper, warped wood floors or ceilings in bathrooms and kitchens, etc.
If there is mould growing on any surfaces inside your house but outside a bathroom try looking for possible plumbing problems as well.
- Look into all the appliances that use water in your home such as washing machines and dishwashers to look for leaking water.
Also, check for leaking water under all sinks, bathroom or kitchen cabinets, in the utility room, attic, garage and around all pipes. All these can be signs of water damage to your property.
- Check your water heater for leaks on the bottom, side or behind it. If you can’t find the leak by turning off the water to it and looking around, you can use a dye tablet or food colouring when there’s no water in the tank.
If you see colour appear when you hook up the hose again you know your water heater is leaking and needs to be replaced.
- Finally, check for leaking pipes since they can typically be found in the walls; behind heaters; under sinks; around door frames; near electrical outlets; under carpeting or where there’s the subflooring.
If you find a leaky pipe try to turn off the water to it immediately before it does any further damage. If you can, call a plumber right away to do some repairs.
Conclusion
We hope this post helped you identify and prevent water damage on your property. If you’re not sure how to get started, please don’t hesitate to contact us!
