Preventative Tips to Combat Water Damage

10/10/2016 (Permalink)

Drips can be fixed by changing a washer or cleaning the screen. Call SERVPRO to remediate any water damage!

Household Maintenance Can Prevent Leaks and Subsequent Damage

Some of the top causes of water damage are surprisingly easy to avoid if you commit to making the proper checks and taking certain preventative measures. Did you know that easily corrected household water leaks can save homeowners around 10% on their water bills? The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) states that these common types of leaks (such as toilet flappers, dripping faucets, and other leaking valves) waste 90 gallons or more every single day in 10% of US homes.
 
Water damage in Pembroke does not have to affect your household. While not all water damage is avoidable by implementing preventative measures, most causes of water damage are.
 
SERVPRO knows just how distressing it is to waste water and pay high water bills due to leaks. This is why we have collected some tips below to help you avoid easily preventable issues that could lead to larger water damage issues.
 
Small Leaks are the Biggest Enemy
When a homeowner thinks of water damage, their thoughts turn to gushing water from underneath sinks and plumbing in the walls. However, it is often the smallest leaks that wreak the most havoc.
 
Drips
Nearly everyone has experienced a dripping sink from a bathroom or kitchen faucet. Changing out the washer inside of a leaking faucet and screwing the faucet head back on can stop many leaks from continuing. Replacing the faucet head entirely may be needed if the interior threading is causing the leak. Even if you require a new kitchen or bathroom faucet, you can find them rather cheap at your local home improvement store.
 
Sinks
Sinks can cause both slow drips from faucets or small leaks from the piping underneath. Water damage due to sinks cost homeowners an average of $7,000 per incident. That is a lot of money to spend on repairs. Instead, inspect the plumbing underneath the cabinets and sinks where the pipes are located. Also, check the hoses that bring the water up to each handle in the faucet (the hot and cold water hoses), for kinks in the plastic or copper pipes can have pinhole leaks that get worse over time. Feel the piping for possible corrosion, or if the plumbing is largely PVC, check around the connectors to make sure the connection is secure and leak free.
 
Watch Your Water Bill
An excellent way to check if you need to inspect all water pipes on your property, keep watch of your water bill and compare it to previous months as well as water usage from the past year. Significant increases that are unaccounted for can indicate a leak on your property or in your home. Homes that are 30 years old or older are 3 times as likely to have problems with plumbing and drains. Nothing is impervious to time and aging.
 
Contact Us
Contact SERVPRO of Bryan, Effingham, McIntosh & East Liberty Counties at (912) 445-5190. We are more than happy to take your call, answer any questions you have, and if needed, send a team out to handle your water emergency.