As one of the most expensive problems you can face as a homeowner, water leaks need to be dealt with immediately. Even small water leaks, whether in your kitchen, laundry room, or bathroom, can cause big issues over time if left unfixed. To protect your home, yard and wallet, there are plenty of things you can do to fix small leaks before they become a huge problem.
Let’s explore how leaks can exist within your home and how to take care of them quickly and effectively.
Why Small Leaks Turn Into a Huge Problem
You may not think that a dripping faucet or leaky pipe could cause serious damage – but you couldn’t be more wrong. The reason small water leaks cause such an impact is because they are often hard to detect. Most of these smaller leaks don’t let water rush in, rather they allow water to slowly fill the surrounding areas, making the hard to notice at first. This is what allows them to cause serious damage that can wreak havoc on your home’s foundation, floors, ceiling, attic and more, until catastrophic failure happens.
Common Signs of Leaks to Look For
When it comes to a leaky home, there will be plenty of signs to look for. If you experience any of the following, it may be time to contact a water damage expert to assess the problem and make the proper repairs:
- General feeling of dampness throughout the home
- Corrosion of fixings such as screws and nails
- Uneven floor surfaces, like buckling wood or lifting of vinyl
- Stained or rotting carpet, or rusting of carpet fixings
- Condensation forming on surfaces throughout the home
- Mold or fungi forming on surfaces (this can also be caused by poor ventilation)
- Musty or damp odors
- Missing shingles from roof
- Sagging of ceiling linings
- Stained drywall or other surfaces
Leaks are an Inevitable Part of Home Ownership
Where water meets structure, there will almost always be leaks that can cause damage. Just because you can’t see or hear a leak doesn’t mean there aren’t multiple areas where your home’s plumbing or structure may be susceptible to water infiltration.
Pipes behind walls or ceilings, missing shingles on the roof, missing window flashing and more can be at risk for leaking, and you may not even be able to notice it before it’s too late. Sometimes, water damage can take years to repair, causing a musty smell that’s incredibly hard to get rid of. This can hurt the resale value of your home and can lower your overall quality of life.
Plus, not only can leaks damage your home, it is incredibly wasteful – according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a leaky faucet alone, that drips at the rate of one drip per second, can waste more than 3,000 gallons per year. That’s the amount of water needed to take more than 180 showers! Overall, you’re bound to save quite a bit of money on your water bill to seal up any leaks around your home.
There is good news, however, in that it’s generally an easy process to hire an experienced water damage mediation company to pinpoint and fix leaks, even if they are not visible. ServiceMaster, for example, uses special equipment to assess the extent of leaks and stop them before they cause serious harm to your home.
Small Leaks = Big Costs
There’s no doubt that leaks can cause serious damage to your home – and your bank account. The best way to prevent small leaks from becoming a big repair cost is to stop them before they grow into a problem.
This is where ServiceMaster can lend our expertise. We use various tools and experienced operations to identify leaks in your home. Determining the exact location of these leaks allows us to fix these problems no matter how easy or complex.
Once the leaks are located, we get to work repairing them using a number of techniques. We can excavate the problematic leaks, patching it if it’s still in proper condition, or we can replace entire lines using proven methods of leak repair.
Have a minor leak? Want to avoid a HUGE headache?
Contact ServiceMaster today!
If you find a minor leak, such as behind a cupboard, under the faucet or in your attic, get in touch with our team of water damage experts as soon as possible. If that minor leak is not dealt with correctly right away, it could turn into a HUGE problem down the road. ServiceMaster can help fix the small leak and make sure that it dries out quickly and properly so you don’t have to worry about any major problems.
Get in touch with our team now.
