Water leakages, often declared as minor issues, however, can have devastating effects on your home if they remain unnoticed or are not addressed promptly. For example, at first, a small drip might seem harmless, but its long-term consequences can be severe, thus leading to hidden structural damage, hazardous mould growth, severe health issues and significant financial loss.
Moreover, residential water damage can cause several problems, which may be a minor concern, like a small water-pipe leaking or it could be extensive damage, such as sewage backup, or flooding. If the damage remains unaddressed, then no matter the level of severity, costly, long-term effects can take place.
Therefore, it is paramount to understand the potential risks which are important to protect your home from these often-overlooked threats.
Importance of Checking Leaks
It’s ultimately important to regularly check for any leaks in and out of your home. Due to leakages, not only it unnecessarily wastes money by wasting water, but also causes serious damage to your premises over the passage of time. In addition, general wearing and tearing or extreme weather conditions can affect your pipes, thus causing leaks when you least expect it.
If leaks remain undetected, then it can occur due to several causes.
Common Causes of Water Leakages
If water leaks remain unchecked, it can cause serious damage to your property. Let’s see how water leakage can destroy your home as the time passes by explaining each and every point in detail:
- Structural Damage:
- Water leaks can cause rotting wood in which exposure to water for a longer period can rot the wooden structures such as joists, and floorboards which will wear out your home structure, thus leading to sagging floors, and collapsing ceilings.
- Moreover, it can also distort the base of the house due to soil erosion, causing cracks in the foundation, causing uneven floors, wall cracks, and in extreme scenarios, a shift in the foundation, thus causing severe structural damage.
- Growth of Mould and Mildew:
- Building up mould can impose serious health risks such as respiratory issues, allergies, asthma and weakened immune systems, because mould thrives in damp environments and can spread vigorously across the house.
- Moulds can destroy porous materials such as insulation, drywall, and carpeting. Once they get contaminated, they only can be replaced, which leads to costly repairs.
- Electrical Hazards:
- Due to leaking, water can seep into your electrical systems, which will cause a short circuit and damage to the electrical appliances, thus leading to power outages, or causing fires.
- It can cause electrocution risk when water comes into contact with live electrical wires especially in certain areas such as around water heaters or in the basements.
- Hidden Water Damage:
- Ceilings and Walls: Hidden damages can be caused due to water leaks occurring behind the ceilings and walls. With the passage of time, this will also cause discoloration, bubbling paint, and warping.
- Insulation: Water can reduce effectiveness by saturating insulation because wet insulation loses its heat trapping ability, thus leading to reducing comfort, and higher energy bills in your home.
- Damage to the Plumbing System:
- Corrosion: Leaks can corrode and wear out the metal pipes, causing them to burst which will result in the occurrence of extensive water damage and leakages.
- Increased Water Bills: Even a minor, and unnoticed leak can unexpectedly increase your water bill, thus leading to wastage of resources and paying unnecessary expenses.
- Damage to the Floors:
- Warping and Buckling: Water leaks can cause laminated floors to bubble, tile floors to loosen up, and hardwood floors to warp. With the passage of time, damage can spread unnoticeably throughout your house, thus will lead to costly repairs or a complete replacement.
- Carpet Damage: When leak occurs, water will seep into the carpets and can absorb water, thus leading to arising of unpleasant odours, destroyed carpet fibres, and growth of mould. In case of severity, the carpet might need to be replaced.
- Damage to the Personal Belongings:
- Furniture and Appliances: Water leaks can destroy the furniture, by damaging the wooden pieces, and causing appliances to rust or short circuit.
- Sentimental Items: Items such as books, photos can get damaged by water leak, thus leading to emotional and financial loss.
- Decreasing Property Value:
- Cosmetic Damage: If you notice any visible signs of water damage such as peeling paint, stained ceilings, or warped floors, then these can typically reduce the property value and aesthetics of your home.
- Long-Term Damage: Even after the repairing of water damage has been done properly, but still the history of leakages and the problems that it has brought with it can lower the property’s value, and potential buyers refuse to buy the property.
- Pest Infestations: Attracting Pests: Damp areas can attract pests such as rodents, ants, and termites as this can cause further damage, such as insulation, chewing through wood, and electrical wiring.
- Unpleasant Smells: Arising of Nasty Odours: Consistent leaking of water can lead to arousal of unpleasant smell in your home, especially in enclosed spaces like closets, basements, and attics. These odours are often a sign of growth and accumulation of mould and mildew.
Hence, by focusing and promptly addressing the water leakages wherever you notice, you can prevent them from occurring again and causing major and expensive damage to your home.
If you notice any of the above mentioned signs, this means that you have a water leakage at your property.
Try doing some DIY techniques
There are two simple ways through which you can take care of minor leaks while a plumber is on his way to your home:
- If a pipe is leaking in your bathroom or kitchen, then try to install a drip pan under your sink so you need not to worry about water leaking onto the other surfaces.
- If a water leak has occurred due to the bursting of a pipe, then it is advisable to shut off your water supply at first, so you need not to worry about water flooding your home.
As homeowners get busy in their everyday routines due to which it becomes impossible for them to check for the leakages everyday. At this point, the role of the experts comes into play where they will be called for the professional water leak detection services. You can swiftly and easily connect with skilled and vetted plumbing professionals on the Urban Gaffa platform.
FAQ
What are the signs of water leaks in my home?
Following are the signs of water damage:
- Inside the house: Stains, discoloration, unpleasant odour, sounds of running water when no fixtures are in use, or bubbling, whistling, or dripping noises, wet spots, mildew growth, warped walls and flooring, and low water pressure
- Outside the house: muddy or soft patches, uneven grass growth, existence of cracks, flooding.
Can water leaks lead to mould growth in my house?
All pipes are fixed or adjusted within the walls or behind the fixtures, where leaks often go unnoticed, thus resulting in the building up of moisture under the floors, behind walls, and in the ceilings. Therefore, leaks can eventually cause mould and mildew growth.
How do I prevent water leaks from damaging my home?
Several ways of preventing water leaks from damaging your home:
- By cleaning gutters and downspouts
- By installing leak detectors
- By insulating pipes
- By maintaining your sump pump
- Inspect to know where your main water valve is
- By monitoring water pressure
- By disconnecting hoses
- By maintaining vegetation and trees
- By maintaining appliances
- By promptly diagnosing and fixing leaks
- By inspecting flexi hoses
- By inspecting the roof
- Locating moisture and mould growth in the home
When should I call a professional for a water leak?
Suppose, if you have noticed any hidden leakage and it has caused you with a significant amount of damage to your property, then it is better to call the plumbers to diagnose and repair the root cause of the leak occurred, assess the entire plumbing system, and perform all the crucial repairing or replacements.
What are the long-term effects due to water leakage in the house?
Following are the long-term effects due to water leakages in a house:
- Alarming Health Issues: Uncontrolled growth of mould that impacts indoor air quality, bacterial accumulation, occurrence of damage to the ceiling, risks of shorts, fires, and presence of nasty smell, etc.
- Damage to the Items in a Home: Unnoticed water damage can destroy the home’s items, such as furniture, carpeting, window coverings and other home-decor materials, electrical appliances (dishwasher, dryer, washer, and furnace), electronic items (DVD players, TVs, headphones, and modems), personal belongings, for example, bedding, books, clothing, photos, and toys.
- Cosmetic Concerns: Permanent marks of water damage due to mould growth and water stains on the ceilings, floors, and walls, bubbled paint, stained wallpaper or peeling, separated wood flooring or warped, as these can affect your home’s aesthetics.
Structural Damages: During rainy days, if roof becomes susceptible to leakage, bowed, softened, or warped wooden frames and their components, eroding brick or concrete foundation if the base is not sealed in a correct manner, water can completely erode it, thus can weaken the home’s structure.
