When it comes to water, you’d think spotting it in a home would be pretty easy to do, right? You go to your crawl space to grab some things you put in storage and there is water everywhere. Or, perhaps your washing machine is making a funny noise, and you are greeted by several inches of water on the floor when you go check it out. Maybe you touch something and it’s just unexplainably moist. Sometimes, however, water damage can be internal or subtle.
Water Damage Restoration Signs For Residents Of Anchorage & Across The Valley
This type of water damage is just as important to quickly address, but much harder to see than those other examples. Here are a few tips for recognizing signs of water damage, so you can call a water damage restoration professional for an assessment and help right away. These tips can also be great for recognizing hiding water damage when you’re interested in purchasing a home or when you suspect water damage in your current property.
- Start in the yard. Ideally, your home is on the highest point of the property, so water can drain easily. Otherwise, you are at an increased risk of water damage to the foundation. Walk around the house and make sure that downspouts point away away from the sides of your home. Gutters should be intact and have no visible holes or missing points. Taking care of your drainage system is an investment to prevent water damage. A decaying gutter is a likely culprit for water damage, so check that out.
- Inside evidence. Inside the home, water rings on your ceiling or walls indicate internal water damage from a pipe, or leak. Sagging spots could occur as a result of rainwater leaking in, or a bathtub that is leaking. Floors will often warp when exposed to water. It can be helpful to look in and smell cabinets and under sinks, in crawl spaces, and carpeted areas. Evidence of water damage, if found, should be examined by a water damage restoration professional.
- Appliances and hoses. Regularly check your appliances, and hoses that connect to them (like a washer hose, for example.) Look for signs of weakness, brittleness, and discoloration. Check your hot water heater for rust.
- Rain or flooding in your area. Pay attention to weather patterns where you live, and be vigilant about watching your home for changes in the way it looks or smells that could indicate water damage when it’s particularly rainy or wet.
- Water bill patterns. Be cognizant each month of how much your water bill is. If you notice an unexplainable hike one month, it could be that you have a leaky pipe in your home.
If you notice any of the above signs of water damage, or anything else that worries you, call a water damage restoration professional in your area to help you assess the situation and correct it. With any disaster big or small (but especially water damage) the faster you notice it, the easier it will be to correct! For a water damage restoration job in the Anchorage or surrounding areas, be sure to give the water damage restoration experts at TCM Restoration a call!