Water Damage Team Blog

A water leak in your home may seem like a small thing, but even a small leak can cause thousands of dollars in damage if not properly taken care of. Luckily, in most cases taking a few easy precautions to protect your home and your investments can prevent this. Follow these simple steps to prevent water damage from leaks in your home.

1. Turn off the Water
When you notice a leak, the very first thing you should do is to shut off the water. If turning off the water on the appliance that is leaking doesn’t work, or you’re not sure where the water is leaking from, then shut off the main water valve. It should be located where cold water enters your house, inside in colder climates and outside in warmer climates. Main water valves are also sometimes near the water heater.

2. Mop up the Mess
As soon as you have turned off the water, the leak will need to be cleaned up. Remove as much water as you can with a mop, rags, or towels, until there is no water visible in the leak area. This needs to be done as soon as is possible because water can soak into floors, ceilings, and walls very quickly.

3. Dry Completely
After you’ve removed most of the water, play it safe and ventilate the damaged area. Open doors and windows around the house to let some air flow through. You can also put some stand-up or sitting fans in front of the leak area for a few hours to make sure it’s all dry.

4. Check Surrounding Areas
After you’ve taken care of the immediate area, look around to make sure no other area is affected. Water has a way of getting around without being seen. If the leak occurred upstairs, go downstairs and check your ceilings and walls.

5. Check Ventilation
The best way to prevent leaks from the roof (from melted ice dams or heavy rain) or another room upstairs is by having proper ventilation. Make sure the soffit is properly ventilated; with holes all down the side. Even after a leak has occurred, checking and updating your ventilation will help keep fresh air in the room and prevent mold and/or decay.

6. Install Leak Detection System
One easy way to prevent water damage is to install a water leak detection system. This system will alert you when a leak in your home is detected, saving you possible thousands the first time it works. Some systems even shut off all the water in your home automatically when a leak is detected, giving you peace of mind when you’re away from home.

7. Call a Specialist
After you’ve done all you can yourself for the water leak, call a specialist to come and take a look at the effected area. If the leak was small and easy to manage, don’t bother, but if the leak was large and may have sunk into the floors or walls then it is important to make sure damage isn’t still being done to your home.

1. What is mold?
Mold is a fungus which grows on plants and fibers wherever it can get what it needs- moisture. It travels in spores, feeding and living off of moisture and dampness. Mold can grow just about anywhere in your home where there is enough moisture, your bathroom or kitchen are the perfect place for mold to inhabit.

2. What is toxic mold?
Toxic mold is actually a misleading term, as mold itself is not necessarily toxic. It is actually the mycotoxins found in some molds that are harmful to your health. What people call “toxic mold” is actually a black mold that can grow in your walls not always noticeably, and eventually be bad for your health.

3. What causes mold?
Mold is caused by large amounts of moisture in fibers or the air. For example, any leak left untreated in your wall, or any flooded carpet that is not properly dryed, could case mold to grow.

4. How can mold growth be prevented?
By performing routine checks of your home, especially rooms with a lot of water pipes, for leaks you’re already half way to preventing water damage. Also make sure to check your attic spaces, basement, and outside the home on a yearly basis for leaks as well.

5. What health problems can mold exposure cause?
Very short exposure to mold is pretty much harmless besides some mild allergy-like irritation. Eventually, mold exposure can lead to more serious health problems like bleeding in the lungs, so immediate attention to mold cleanup is essential.

6. What symptoms point to mold-induced health problems?
Allergy-like symptoms are the first sign of a sickness caused by mold. Sneezing, coughing, and itchy eyes are all recognizable this way. Also, people with asthma will be much more prone to asthma attacks when around dangerous mold spores for too long.

7. How do you tell if you have a mold problem?
You should be able to smell, see, or feel mold. Sporadic, uncommon allergy symptoms could be one sign of mold. Mold has a very distinguishable musty smell, which should be strongest right at the source. If your hallway smells musty all the time and you don’t know why, you may want to call a mold removal specialist.

8. How do I get rid of mold?
Removing small amounts of mold on your own is fine with some hot water and soap. However a professional should deal with serious mold problems, because you may not get it all, and the remaining spores could grow and affect your health.

9. Do I need to have a routine mold check-up?
A routine mold check on your home is a very smart thing to do. Mold could grow inside your walls, and if not caught in time cause thousands of dollars in damage. Doing a check-up yourself every few months will keep you ahead of the game even more, and properly protect your home and investments.