How to spot hidden water damage in your home

Water damage is by far the most dangerous thing that can happen to your home. Damage from water greatly affects the strength of any house and will cause heavy damage unless dealt with. The most dangerous type of water damage is the damage to very foundations of your home and you can literally lose your home if you don’t check for water damage on regular basis. The number one rule when we talk about water damage is prevention and quick action. If you wait for the problem to go away the costs will just build up because when water penetrates your home it will not stay in one place.

Types of water damage

There are several types of water damage and you must know all of them in order to know how to prevent them. Everyone knows that there are underground water flows almost everywhere, the only difference is in the depth of the flows. When constructing your foundations it is very important to know the exact depth of underground water flow in order to prevent water penetrating your foundations. The next type of water damage is damage from rainfall or snow. If your home isn’t on the higher ground than the rest of your estate all that water will eventually finish in the earth around your house causing pressure to your basement walls. Also, if you have a leak in the roof the water will cause the beams to root and it will destroy your entire roof. One of the most common type of water damage is from leaking or broken pipes and the most common reason is poor installation quality and old pipes. Number one water damage cause nowadays are floods from washers and dishwashers which are most commonly caused by clogs in the drain hose.

Preventing water damage in your basement

Basement is the most common place where water penetrates your home. We mentioned earlier that you have to understand underground water flows when constructing your foundations and basement but unfortunately many people don’t consider that at all and the result is water damage that can make your house unsafe for living. Whatever you do, always waterproof your foundations and basement and install a sump pump. That will ensure that your rainfall and underground water doesn’t penetrate inside your walls. Beware that once water penetrates the wall it travels through the wall upwards to your house walls due to hydrostatic pressure. Also, we told you that your home must be on the slightly higher ground than the rest of the estate and it is best to make a 20 inch concrete path around the entire house to prevent the rainfall from pouring on the outer sides of your basement walls. You may also consider French drains because they are the most efficient method of keeping the water outside your foundations and basement. And clean your gutters on regular basis because otherwise that water pours on your outer walls and on your basement walls.

Foundation damage and water infiltration is a serious cause for concern as the whole building might be put into harm’s way. Not only are the expenses of fixing such problem extremely big but also it can cause serious harm to the establishment and prove to get potentially life-threatening if left unchecked. Infiltration might reduce the value of respective structures and make them a danger to live in as buildings can easily collapse under their own weight if the problem persists for a lot of time before getting any attention.

Preventing water damage in the attic

If you see the water on your ceiling it’s already too late, the roof is probably leaking for some time now. When water penetrates the ceiling the whole ceiling is filled with water and you are in danger that it will fell down completely because it can be up to three times heavier with all the water in it. You have to inspect your attic during fall and winter every two weeks for leaking. On the picture above you can see that water has already heavily damaged the chimney and the wood around it but it didn’t penetrate the ceiling. That kind of small leak can cause your roof structure to rot causing you huge expenses for the new roof. Not only will damp wood result in various unwanted pests such as ants and termites but it is also a cause for mold and mildew to form. Make sure you check every piece of wood which shows signs of being damp with a sharp object such as a screwdriver. Keep in mind that small roof leaks are easily fixed and you can even do that yourself. If you want to learn how check out our article How to fix a leaky roof.