What Are Signs of Water Damage in Your Home?
One of the worst things you can do as a homeowner is ignoring signs of damage caused by water. It can cost a pretty penny to reverse the damage once it’s done. You could be putting not only the structure of your home but also your family’s health at risk.
Give yourself an advantage and act fast when you begin to notice something a little off. There is a range of things you may notice that could be a result of your home being damaged by water or excess moisture.
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Here are some signs of water damage to your home:
1. Water Rings
Have you seen brown-ish-looking rings on your ceiling or walls? Discolored spots on the ceiling and walls are some of the most common signs of water damage. Water damage in the ceiling could be stemming from rain, or if you have a two-story home, then you may have a leaking or busted pipe. Walls with discoloration mean that your pipes are likely leaking or busted.
2. Cracked/Leaning Flooring on Level Ground
If you have tile or hardwood floors in your home that begin to look warped or cracked, this could be a sign of water damage. The damage done to your flooring may be easier to notice than water damage on the ceiling.
Although it’s easy to point out such an issue, water damage done to your home through the floors isn’t always noticeable. For example, you may not feel a difference at first but sagging spots or soft spots are easy to find when you walk on them.
3. Rotting Wood Items
Woods soaks up and absorbs water. A good way to know if your wood is rotting is by lifting up whatever is that you think is wet and checking for swollen spots. You can remove those items and contact a professional to diagnose if your home has a pipe leakage.
4. Dripping Faucets
Dripping faucets are the worst, right? If you hear your faucets in your bathrooms or kitchen dripping, this means there may be a leak. If you try turning your faucet all the way on and off again and the dripping still persists, then you almost certainly have a water leak. To combat this, call a professional that can quickly come out and fix the leak to give yourself peace of mind.
5. Odors in Your Home
Dampness in your home over time causes a musty odor that lingers no matter how much you try to clean your home. Humidity and extra dampness in your house is a big sign of water damage that shouldn’t go ignored.
The smell tends to be the strongest in areas where the water damage is stemming from. If your home is older, it may have this smell, but if your home doesn’t normally have a musty smell, then there may be a problem.
6. Mold on Walls and Ceilings
Do your walls or ceilings have small dark spots in patches that weren’t there before? This is a telltale sign of mold and can point to where the water damage began. Mold can accumulate quickly from steamy showers, leaking pipes, laundry rooms, or any other area inside your home where you use water.
Moldy areas can eventually lead to health issues, which in that case, you should move swiftly to stop the spread. Contact a mold remediation specialist to treat and remove any mold inside your home.