Primary Causes Of Water Damage in Homes

Homeowners should always stay on top of their home maintenance care to ensure that they will not be caught off guard by many kinds of damages. A way to do this is to ensure that they do some pre-emptive home repairs measures aimed to stop damages before they fully instigate. For homeowners, the most distressing but frequent causing damage to the home is water.

When water damage, which is not like other common home damages, is undetected or is permitted to continue for quite some time, mold and rot have a tendency to occur deep in the homes foundation. Its not uncommon for these damages to occur in places that are hard to reach.

When a homeowner sets up their washer, they generally connect it to both the hot water line and the cold water line. When you do an inspection of the lines, make sure that you inspect the hoses and the water line ends. Begin with the joints. Any leaks you find will need to be take care of immediately either with special glue or duct tape. If you are unable to fix your washer, hire a professional to help you.

Its very important to clean and/or replace the filters every three months so that they do not become blocked. Not doing so can lead to the machines malfunction and a large water increase on your bill because of the slow water flow. Be sure to increase these inspections on the filter more often if your area has hard water. While the washer is not running, check the shut off valve for leaks. If youve got one, replace the valve.

For the majority of appliances, problems often begin in the hose. Its important that you have about four inches between the back of the washer and the water connection, which allows the hose some space. Not doing so, will cause kinks and possibly burst later on. If hoses look worn, replace them. To save money over time, consider purchasing steel braided hoses. However, ordinary and most commonly used hoses will need to be replaced once or twice a year, no matter how they look.

The ventilation hose that your dryer is connected to needs to be replaced every two years. Be sure to check it thoroughly and often to ensure that there are no holes/tears. Remember that this ventilation hose but connect to the outside world. For this reason, animals/insects can chew on it, causing you problems down the road. Ensure that the vent pipe isnt clogged by looking for lint behind and under the dryer. Clean out the lint trap after each dryer load so that the appliance does not overheat, which can cause the hoses stress.

If youre suffering water damage, look at the utility sink. Be sure to leak underneath it and behind it. If you find puddles of water or water discoloration, you may have a leak. If you see sunken boards, thats an indication of a past leak. Any drips into the sinks trap means you have immediate problems and need to be repaired at once. If youre pipes are draining slowly, you may have a somewhat blocked drained, you need to hire a professional to take care of this immediately.

You can get rid of clogs by using household cleaners but if they fail, dont attempt to fix it yourself. Instead, call in a professional. If a faucet is continuously running or the sink seals are cracked and/or loose, you should replace at once. If your walls are damp or becoming stained, you need to rule internal plumbing leaks. If you find problems, call in a professional as soon as you can to prevent further problems.

by Steve Estes - July 8 2009

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