Flooding in the Home. We had an unusually cold winter this year with lots of ice. Previous winter seasons were generally calm to chilly, but this recent winter, it was a catastrophe! The storm was raining ice, accumulating up to two inches of ice on trees and damaging our electrical lines causing a blackout for four days. Well, we were fortunate unlike the others who had to suffer without electricity for two months. We had fire to keep us warm through the night, and enough to cook our food. Still, we had no hot water for cleansing. At one point, it was 42 degrees in the rooms we had closed off. After the ice melted, the kitchen and laundry sections of the house started to have this smell of fungi. We realized there was a leak in the house yet we had no idea where it was. We searched the source of the leak for days, until we came upon a pipe connecting to the washing machine. It broke down because it got brittle after the freezing. Yet, it already made a huge mess. We paid a lot to have it repaired and today, all is back to normal.
Flooding and waters leaking inside the house has many causes, however the chief perpetrator is the washing machine. It is a no-brainer that this is a serious and health threatening situation, not to mention the expense. A substantial loss may be incurred from unattended leaks in faucets, toilets, hoses, hot water heaters, washing machines, roof pipes or pipes connecting from the meter to the house.
Imagine, 20 gallons of water each day wasted because of a faucet that was not closed tightly! If in a year, 7,300 gallons of water is washed away for nothing, you won’t find me laughing. It’s a tremendous quantity, don’t you think? What’s worse than that is a toilet with water seeping out. In a day, it can waste 100 gallons of water. If you total that in a year, that’s 36,500 gallons, imagine that!
One way to determine if there is a water leak in the house is to examine your water bill. If the amount does not correspond to your normal consumption, which is too high, then it is better to doubt that you have a leak. To know if there really is a leak in the house, simply shut off all the faucets and sources of running water in the house. Write down the reading on your water meter, this will serve as your basis. After almost an hour, come back and record the reading on the meter again. If the reading is higher, then you have a leak somewhere in the house.
It’s not hard to notice if the leak is big, but it can be difficult if the leak is small and nonstop. You’ll be able to know only if the floors are starting to come off or if it is starting to have a mold and mildew smell.
Examining your pipes under the sinks and tubs, dishwashers, and washing machines for indications of fractures and deterioration are just a few of what you can do with regards to locating leaks in the house. Blocked pipes are usually caused by hair and debris stuck on shower drains, trash trapped in toilet bowls, and hardened grease or food remains jammed in the kitchen drain, and these can be the reasons for leaks in the house. Check all pipes and hoses running from appliances and outdoor faucets, and install water alarms, automatic water valve shut off units, automatic shut off for washers (wish we had installed that one!), and replace washer hoses with flood check hoses.
Water related damages cause millions of dollars a year in losses. Generally, most insurance claims submitted are for damages caused by poor plumbing systems and almost 2,000,000 households have that. Don’t let your home be one of these statistics.
Water damage can be covered up but using a trained inspector can identify tell tale signs which can protect you from buying a below ground swimming pool. The Barrie Home Inspector uses a moisture meter and thermal imaging camera on every inspection to look for signs of moisture and water intrusion.