Water can cause serious damage to a home, so it’s good to know about the most common places where water damage occurs. Check these 5 areas of your home for signs of problems.
Water Damage Under a Loose Toilet
The wax ring around the toilet base secures the fixture and keeps the water from the drainpipe from seeping into the subfloor. You may notice a small puddle of water by the toilet, alerting you to the problem. More often, you won’t notice water but the toilet will start to wobble because the subfloor is rotting.
Around Showers and Bathtubs
Water damage can occur behind the shower surround and under the bathtub. This can happen when water splashes out repeatedly and makes contact with the floors and walls, or from a plumbing leak in the water lines.
Use caution while bathing to make sure water stays inside of the tub. A plumbing leak is a more difficult problem to notice; often you won’t know anything is wrong until extensive damage has been done.
Underneath Sinks
The connections on the plumbing pipes beneath sinks can become loose and leak water. Often this happens inside the cabinet that houses the pipes, which makes it easy to miss. Check your under-sink cabinets for moisture and discoloration. While this water damage is usually contained in the cabinet, it can also cause mold to grow and spread throughout the house.
Water Damage in the AC
Air conditioning produces condensed water that collects in a shallow pan with a drain line to keep it from overflowing. If the drain line clogs, the pan will overflow and cause water damage and mold.
Around the Chimney
Any roof opening like a chimney or vent requires flashing around it to keep it well-sealed. If the flashing is deteriorating, cracked, or missing, water can seep through to the roof deck and cause it to rot. Regular roof inspections will inform you about problems with flashing so you can get it fixed before it causes rot and mold.
Maryland Home Inspectors provides home inspection services to Washington DC and Baltimore. Contact us to book an appointment.
