Everyone has let the bath tub or the kitchen sink overflow because we just forgot that the water was running, but if it happens often, you might want to think about the consequences of letting it. Water damage is quite a serious thing and can cost a decent bit of money to have repaired, so letting the tub, sink, or toilet overflow on a regular basis could end up costing you in the long run. While there is not much advise to help with that problem other than to just be less forgetful, there are other things that you can do to help prevent water damage from happening to your home.
Whether you take a shower or a bath, they both give off steam in the bathroom, but there is not always anywhere for the steam to go if you do not have a vent installed for just this purpose. Your ceiling and walls will absorb the steam over time and become damaged. Over time, mold will also start to grow on the walls and you will have a brand new problem to deal with.
Any plumbing that goes to your dishwasher or the washing machine in your laundry room needs to be checked for damage on a semi-regular basis. Any appliance in your home that uses water that comes directly from the plumbing system needs to be checked for cracks or weak spots. Check also under the kitchen and bathroom sinks for these kind of problems. Leaks can pop up anywhere in the home and at any time, but sometimes they are due to simply not keeping a check on the plumbing.
A roof that has a leak in it is also a serious cause of water damage. It not only wets the insulation in the attic (causing it to be useless and heavy on your ceiling), but it also leaks through that insulation and soaks the drywall on your ceiling, discoloring it and allowing mold to grow.
If you do have a spill, especially anywhere that you have carpet, soak up as much of the water as you can and if it is a large amount of water, it might be a good idea to pull the carpet up and get under it, too. Unless you have a carpet shampooer and can pull up the water in the carpet immediately, the padding underneath the carpet will also get soaked. Carpet is notorious for allowing mold to grow for a long time without you noticing that there is a problem.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
water damage restoration companies and
Dallas Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors.
