Mia
If you keep wondering why your water bill is so high, it’s time to check if you have some leaking sources inside your home. While a lot of water leaks are caused by defective plumbing, leaks can also appear within your walls and cause serious mold problems. You can detect this by looking for key signs of water damage, like peeling paint, patches of discoloration, or an unpleasant odor. If you have similar problems in your home, you may find this article useful.
Find Adequate Help
The moment you notice damp places in your home, it means you have some leaking problems that should be quickly solved. A slow water leak hidden within the walls that breeds mold and rots wood can be extremely costly. Therefore, try to prevent water leaking from walls by asking for proper service. They will solve your problem in no time because you won’t be able to do that by yourself without the necessary equipment. It’s important to identify the source of the leak quickly and then ask for help. Let professionals finish the job because they’ll take care of permanent repairs and drywall restoration.
Use the Water Meter
One of the simplest ways to detect a hidden water leak is to check your water meter. This device is very useful because it can be located inside or in front of your home. First, you should turn off all the faucets, showers, and toilets you have, as well as appliances that rely on water like washing machines or dishwashers. Don’t use water for at least three hours in your home to make sure your results are accurate. If there aren’t any leaks from your faucets and toilets, your water meter will show that you have a leaking source in your walls.
Check the Texture and Color of the Walls
Walls that have water leaks have something similar to a bubble-like texture. They aren’t as flat as they should be, but paint or wallpaper will buckle and twist, forming different bubble-like shapes. Also, the outer surface of your wall can take on discoloration if there is water inside. Notice that it looks slightly washed out or has a lighter color than the other walls in the house, and it often has some irregular shape. That is a certain sign that you should take care of the walls.
Signs of Mold
If you notice even the tiniest dots of mold on your wall, it’s a sign of a water leak inside it. You may see black or brown dots that are spreading with time, so you should prevent this because mildew can cause serious allergies and other potentially serious health problems. If you see mold growing on your wall, remove it with some strong anti-mold agent and fix the leak inside the wall. If you don’t react on time, this problem can only get worse, so don’t wait too long.
Pay Attention to Any Musty Smell
Water leaking behind walls can be detected using your sense of smell if the leak is not visible. Since the water that leaks into the walls never dries out, the walls will begin to give off a humid odor. Also, the unpleasant smell is often followed by other signs of leaks like discoloration or mold, but sometimes an odor will be the only sign that something is going on.
What is helpful is a leaking sound you can hear inside your wall, so when you turn off the shower or sink, pay attention to the leaking sound. If it still exists, the problem is inside your wall. A faint dripping sound is a sure warning sign that possible damage should be prevented.
Wet Areas
This is one of the most obvious signs that you have a slow water leak inside the walls of your home. For instance, you can notice small puddles or wet areas in places that should be dry. It means that the problem is inside your wall, so prevent it on the spot before the damage becomes worse. Don’t get confused if you see wet areas near major appliances that use water, like watching machines, or in the bathroom, near the sink or toilet. Yet, if your appliances are new, then there shouldn’t be too much water, so double-check your walls.
Taking all these tips into consideration, you’ll notice that it’s easy to recognize the problem that water leaks can cause. Still, if you don’t solve it on time, the damage caused can be long and expensive to repair. To avoid that, always react when you notice something unusual on your walls and try to remove the damage successfully and quickly.
