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When facing water damage, people often get flabbergasted. You can’t blame them because anyone would be astonished to wake up and see their living room knee-deep in the water!
Yes, it can happen, and it does happen more often than you probably think.
Many things can cause water to leak and flood your house. From a leaky faucet to a pipe bursting, a major leak can happen to anyone, anytime. So one should always know what to do in scenarios like that.
Today we shall teach you what to do in case of water leakages and other similar emergencies. The first step, of course, is to properly identify leaks and that is what we will start with.
Identifying leaks
There are certain signs of potential water leaks around your household. Some of them are:
● High Water Bills
If you notice unusually high and increased water bills for no apparent reason, there could be a leak somewhere in your household.
Leakage can cause your water bills to be ridiculously high, so you should get a professional to look at it. Also, it would be wise to contact your landlord immediately if you live on rented property.
● Swollen Wooden Furniture
Wooden furniture will absorb water and swell up. If you ever find your wooden furniture or objects suddenly swollen and puffed up, you can be sure that water leakage caused it.
Move the furniture away from that position as soon as possible and contact professional carpenters as they are experts in treating swollen wooden furniture and restoring them.
● Damp and Wet Spots
Damp spots on your ceiling and walls indicate water leakage.
If you ever notice dark spots in your walls that shouldn’t have moisture, you can be sure that water caused it. It may start as a small patch that gradually grows bigger and bigger and can eventually lead to a collapse.
● Peeling Paint and Wallpaper
If you ever see paint peeling off your walls, you can be reasonably sure that excessive moisture caused it.
Exposure to too much humidity causes paint to blister up and eventually start wearing off and peeling off.
● Fungus and Mold on Surfaces
Fungus and mold are clear indicators of excess moisture in your household.
If you ever see mold growth around your household, you should immediately resort to professional help as mold and fungus can cause breathing problems, allergic reactions, fatigue, etc.
● Rust
Another indicator of moisture is rust, which occurs when metallic things are in contact with open air and humidity. So check for leaks whenever you see unusual rusts on metallic objects.
● Clogged Drains and Pipes
Clogged drains and pipes can cause water to leak as water is unable to escape. So if you ever notice clogged pipes and drains, be sure to contact your plumber.
However, if you’re good at plumbing repairs, check the leakage and fix it yourself immediately.
● Decrease in Water Pressure
If you suddenly notice that the water pressure in your faucets and showers is lower than usual, water is escaping elsewhere, thus reducing the overall pressure in your system.
● Repulsive Smell
If enough water has accumulated somewhere in your household enough, then that could result in mold growth which can then generate a repulsive smell.
Therefore, a bad or repulsive odor in parts of the household can be a telltale sign that there is water leakage.
Now that you know how to identify leaks, here’s what you should do afterward:
6 Effective Tips to Deal with Water Leaks
1. Take Action
If you are capable of doing something about it, then act immediately.
For instance, if you see water accumulating in a place, you can quickly take the initiative to mop up the water and prevent it from spreading and causing more damage than it already has.
2. Stop the Source
If you can identify the leak’s source and take care of it, do so as soon as possible.
For instance, if you see a leaking pipe, try to patch it up yourself as best you can before the plumber arrives to slow the leaking and minimize the damages.
3. Call for Assistance
In case of floods or serious water leakage, call for help immediately. For example:
- If you are renting the place, call your landlord or maintenance manager as soon as possible!
- If you are the owner of the property, then contact your insurance company as soon as possible!
Besides these, in all cases, contact your local handyman and plumber as soon as possible as they can prove vital in scenarios like this.
4. Turn Off Water Supply
If you see uncontrollable levels of water leakage, which is slowly building up and causing severe damage, the best thing you can do before help arrives is to turn off the water supply completely. This will minimize and prevent further damage to your property.
5. Turn Off Electricity
This is crucial if there is an electricity source near the leakage. Turn off all power and turn off the circuit breakers.
If water comes in contact with electricity, it can prove to be fatal. The deadly combination can easily result in electrocution for you and your family. Moreover, it may cause the powerlines to short circuit and start a fire in another part of your household.
6. Minimize Damages
Minimizing damages includes moving away furniture and objects that can be damaged if they come in contact with water. For instance, you should remove wooden furniture from where the water is leaking.
Now let’s take a look at some places around your household that are prone to leaking.
Some Common Areas Where Water Leakage Occurs
- Faucets and Taps: These are the most common and often overlooked sources of water leaks because people often forget to turn them off properly. As a result, they can leak and cause severe property damage. Even if they don’t cause property damage, they waste a huge amount of water, which is not a good thing as water is a valuable resource. According to epa.gov, leaky faucets that drip at a rate of one drip per second can result in the loss of more than 3000 gallons of water annually.
- Showerheads and Sprays: Showerheads and sprays are also prone to leakage. A good rule of thumb is to inspect bathrooms and toilets before going to sleep or leaving the house for a long time. Besides, you may use baking soda to clean showerheads to avoid clog and leakage.
- Toilets: Toilets are a common source of water leakage. Toilet flappers that are old or worn out, such as a valve seal, may cause leaks. Flappers are low-cost rubber components that may collect minerals or degrade with time.
- Kitchen Sinks: Kitchen sinks are often ignored, so people leave them turned on and later find that their entire kitchen is flooded.
- Sprinklers: This is the most overlooked source of water leakage. Even the smallest sprinklers can leak thousands of gallons of water yearly. Sprinklers often go unnoticed. So if you are someone with a sprinkler system, you should routinely check your system for leaks.
Final Words
Now that you are armed with handy information about dealing with water leakages and other water or plumbing-related accidents in your household, we hope you won’t feel helpless and be able to take charge of the situation when, if ever, it ever arises.
If you feel like you would benefit from more information on the subject, then explore online for resources where you will find an endless array of useful information.
