Is your home protected against water damage? Do you know the costs of water damage repair, or how to prevent it? Water damage repair and restoration can be expensive, and prevention is definitely preferable to the cure!
In this post, we’ll show you how to deal with water damage, and most importantly, how to prevent water issues from damaging your home and possessions.
What Are the Causes of Water Damage?
Water can damage your home in a range of different ways, but there are two main types of water damage.
- Gradual water damage that happens over time. This could be a blocked gutter, a pinhole slab leak or pipe leak, or any other small leak that happens in a place you can’t see. The damage happens slowly over time, and often you’re not aware of it for months or even years.
- Sudden water damage that happens quickly, often without warning. For instance, a burst pipe or water tank, an overflowing toilet, or flooding due to a broken dishwasher or washing machine.
A storm-damaged leaky roof can cause huge amounts of property damage. Even a refrigerator can cause water damage, especially if they have supply lines for ice making or water cooling.
Whether it’s a sudden problem or a gradual one, water damage can be disastrous. It can destroy walls, floors, and ceilings; furniture and furnishings; and even treasured possessions. It can be expensive to deal with and is not always covered by insurance.
Tips for Completing Water Damage Repair Work
Be Safe When Repairing Water Damage
There can be up to three types of water damage in your home, because each water source you may be dealing with has a unique origin and composition. When water damage happens, it’s vital to know which of the three types of water you are dealing with. You may even have all three to contend with.
Clean water: This water comes from leaky pipes, a hot water tank, or from rain or condensation. Clean water doesn’t pose any health risks, and it’s generally safe to clean up this water damage yourself.
gray water: This kind of water is a little dirty. It’s the water that comes from a leaking dishwasher or washing machine, or clean water from a broken toilet. gray water typically has no dangerous contaminants and is usually safe to clean up yourself.
Black water: This water is a completely different story compared to the other two. Black water refers to water that’s contaminated with sewage and other kinds of hazardous waste. Unlike clean or gray water, contact with black water can cause serious illness.
Along with sewage water, it can also mean the water that results from serious flooding due to heavy weather. Because this flood water, sewage, and other kinds of contaminated water is likely to contain hazardous biological waste, it’s better to leave this kind of damage cleanup to professionals who will repair and restore the damage caused by black water safely.
Dry the Space Out ASAP
Regardless of the cause of the water damage in your home, the key to minimizing the damage from excess water is to dry the area out as quickly as possible. Run the air conditioning, add extra fans, and place a de-humidifier in the area to remove as much moisture as you can. And, of course, it’s also vital to find and fix the cause of the water damage.
Inspect for Bacterial or Fungal Growth
In the right conditions, growth can make itself at home fairly quickly—especially in dark, moist locations. Preventing and eliminating the sources of moisture are key to avoiding adding insult to injury.
A small growth patch can be dealt with relatively easily. Cut out the entire section, with a wide margin to make sure you get it all. Bag it and seal it securely and put it in the trash right away.
If the problem is too extensive to deal with in this way, you’ll need to call a professional. This might apply if:
- There are multiple areas or rooms affected.
- There are very large patches that you can’t easily remove.
- You’re not sure where the source of water leakage is located.
In the meantime, try to isolate the area from the rest of the house, if possible. Keep the door to the affected room closed. If you have zoned air conditioning, isolate that zone by closing off the dampers. If not, cover the area in plastic to prevent cross-contamination of areas.
Sanitize the Water Damaged Area
Once you’ve removed all damaged materials and salvaged what you can, sanitize what’s left. A bleach-based cleaner is best for getting rid of any lingering growth. Lightly spray all affected surfaces, wipe them down, then leave the area to dry.
Be aware that bleach is best used on non-porous surfaces, and walls made of drywall are highly porous. If you have much growth on walls, baseboards, or your ceilings, call your local plumbing professional for recommendations to a reputable remediation and restoration company.
Repairing the Damage
While some water-damaged materials can be salvaged, most porous materials can’t withstand large amounts of water exposure, such as exposure to standing water. This includes materials such as carpet, fabric, and insulation, as well as unsealed wood, drywall, and cement. Some of these materials are not simply damaged by excessive amounts of water; they can cause expensive problems later if not sealed properly or removed.
For example, wet carpet that isn’t rapidly dried becomes an ideal breeding ground for growth. You can prevent this issue most efficiently by contacting a professional cleanup and restoration team. Even when wet carpet can be salvaged, it must be taken up and dried from the pad up.
Some furniture items may be saved, if they can be dried out thoroughly. However, water damage can cause warping or shrinking that may render some items of furniture unusable.
Removing Damaged Materials
Wood: Wood that’s severely warped will likely need to be removed and replaced. In addition, any materials that are visible moldy or rotting should be removed. Be cautious when removing or replacing structural elements, and if necessary, get some professional help.
Some pieces may be salvageable, even if they’re damp. If possible, remove these pieces and let them dry out in a dry room with good air circulation and heat. This can help them dry out faster.
Drywall: Water-damaged drywall may ripple, sag, have interior paint blisters, or flaking paint. The drywall might be soft to the touch or have water discoloration stains
If you have drywall water damage, you may be able to do spot repairs rather than replacing entire sheets of drywall. The best repair method for the situation depends largely on how extensive the damage is.
- For small holes, fill with caulk or spackle, let it dry, then sand and paint.
- For holes that are larger than a quarter, you’ll need to use drywall tape or mesh to fill in the hole.
- Holes that are more than two inches across should be filled in with a piece of scrap drywall.
- If the drywall has come away or sagged more than 3/8 of an inch from the baseline, then it’s best to replace that entire sheet.
Flooring: Water damage isn’t always easy to spot, especially if it’s hidden beneath flooring. Even if you can’t see any signs of water damage, it can pay to check underneath flooring just to be sure. For instance, if you have a water-damaged first-floor ceiling in a multi-level home, check the flooring above the damaged area, to make sure it’s dry and intact. If the water damage is in a wall, check the flooring in that area for signs of damage. Water restoration companies have meters to check the moisture content in these areas. It never hurts to get a professional opinion when determining issues that may exist around areas of known water damage.
Pro Tip: Take Care of Ceiling Damage First
When dealing with water damage repair it’s always best to focus on ceiling damage first. This is important because a damaged ceiling is more vulnerable to gravity than damaged walls or floors.
If there are any ceiling panels affected by water damage, remove those first. If you haven’t yet located the source of the water damage, this can also provide some vital clues, as removing soaked ceiling panels may reveal a roof leak or plumbing leak. When removing water damaged ceiling panels, check for structural damage at the same time. Look for signs of water damage in beams and rafters, as well as adjacent ceiling panels.
Know When to Get Professional Help
If you’re an avid DIYer, you may feel confident tackling water damage repairs by yourself. However, it’s important to keep in mind that water damage can be deceptive. It’s easy to overlook or misjudge how extensive the damage is. A seemingly small patch of water damage could just be the tip of the iceberg.
Another important factor is that if the water has caused structural damage, it can be difficult to repair safely, even if you have plenty of DIY experience. In fact, water damage restoration is a very specific set of skills, that even expert DIYers don’t necessarily have. In order to get the best possible result, it’s often best to call in a professional water damage restoration expert.
It’s also a good idea to get help in the following situations:
- Any water damage caused by black water.
- Water damage has caused extensive growth, or you can’t find the source of the water.
- Though most people fear black mold, other types of growth can cause some issues to people with asthma or allergies, so prompt removal is necessary.
- You’ve had standing water in the house.
- When structural damage is involved.
How to Prevent Water Damage
Water is a major cause of property damage and loss, but most causes of water damage are preventable. Take a proactive approach to water damage prevention with these tips.
Know where your water main is. A burst pipe can do a lot of damage very quickly, especially if you can’t get the water shut off right away. If you don’t know where your water main is, find out, and then make sure everyone else in the family knows too and knows how to shut it off. If the shut-off is buried in the ground or won’t shut off the water to the house, get it repaired prior to experiencing and emergency.
Check for leaks. A single leaky faucet can waste dozens of gallons of water every week. Wasted water can mean money down the drain, but if the leak is somewhere you can’t see, such as underneath your dishwasher, it can also mean water damage that goes undetected for months or years. Expensive
Remember, it’s not just faucets and appliances that can leak. Check inside your attic for signs such as water stains or damp spots. Finding these leak indicators can prevent an expensive roof replacement or a massive leak from a water heater.
Know the signs of hidden leaks. A leaking faucet is an obvious indicator, but not all leaks are visible. Look out for these signs of hidden leaks:
- Flaking paint
- Bubbling or bulging paint
- Bubbling or blistering wallpaper
- Walls feel cold to the touch
- Black speckles on windowsills or skirting boards
- Sounds of water running when nothing is known to be on
- Hot spots on the floor
- Musty smells
- Heavy condensation on windows
Protect your pipes from freezing. Insulate exposed pipes, both indoors and outside. If your home will be unoccupied during the winter, turn off the water supply and drain the water heater, toilets, and turn off the water to and drain the sprinkler system. If you leave water on, set your home thermostat to at least 50 degrees and open cabinet doors to sinks on outside walls to help prevent water from freezing in the pipes.
Keep your gutters clean. While this issue most commonly arises in the fall, gutters can become clogged in other seasons too, with dirt, moss, or weeds.
Check your sump pump. If your home uses a sump pump on the sewer system to move the wastewater uphill to the city service line, you may have a sump pump installed that needs annual servicing. Make sure it is in good working order so it’s ready to kick in when you need it.
Prevent Water Damage with the Help of CW Service Pros
Water damage cleanup and the restoration process can be expensive and time-consuming. A better option is to prevent water damage whenever you can. That’s why, when it comes to avoiding water damage in your home, your local plumber is your best friend.
Let CW Service Pros help you prevent water damage in your home. From leak detection services, to fixing slab leaks, pipe leaks, leaky faucets, and more, our expert plumbing professionals can tackle your plumbing problems before they cause devastating water damage in your home.
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