How to Detect Water Damage

Follow these steps to spot key signs of water damage in and around your home.

What to Look For

Water damage can take on different colors, textures, and even smells, depending on the type of location of the damage. For instance, ceiling water damage is usually easier to spot than water damage in a basement because you will see stains and discoloration on a ceiling, but may not know that a musty odor can be a sign that there is a problem on the lower level of your home. Learn these telltale signs so that you can identify an existing problem and be prepared to spot it in the future.

Water Accumulation

The most obvious sign that you’ve got water damage on your hands (or that it will become a bigger problem) is areas of standing or pooling water. These can result from old or malfunctioning appliances including washers, water heaters and toilets. A puddle could also occur from a leaking roof, or from drainage pipes if the water is on the outside of your home.

Discoloration

With ceiling water damage, look for water spots and stains. The area may appear wet or dry and can be a yellow, brown or copper color. read more may also have bubbling, cracking or peeling paint or wallpaper in addition to staining.

Changes in Texture

While flooring can also show discoloration like ceilings and walls do, the main sign of water damage in floors is detected by changes in texture. This is a result of water seeping into the floor boards and areas underneath them. Some common texture variations include:

Warping – caused by changes in humidity and temperature, resulting in gaps between floorboards or curling at the edges. ( Restoration Brothers Stow may also become warped from water damage.)

Buckling – Occurs in wood floors when one side of the wood becomes detached from the substrate and "tents," or faces upward.

Sagging/Sinking – You may notice soft spots in hardwood floors due to rotten wood, which feels spongy compared to normal wood. Water can seep into subflooring of all types of flooring material and cause sagging.

Expansion – Wood and laminate floors will "expand" when they absorb too much water because the material swells and then separates.

Odor

Common Places/Causes

Water damage can occur in any part of your home; however, there are some areas that are more high-risk than others. Make a checklist and inspect each area in your home to know where and what to look for when it comes to identifying water damage.

Ceilings

Ceiling water damage can come from a few sources. If the room is on the top story of a home, it could be from a leaky roof caused by rain or melting ice/snow in the winter months. If there is a bathroom above the ceiling with wall damage, it could be from a burst pipe or cracks in the floorboards.

Walls

One of the easiest ways to spot water damage is water stains on walls (and ceilings). Make sure to also check around door and window frames. An unusual stain could be a sign of a leaky pipe or drain inside the wall.

Floors

There are many things that can cause water damage to floors – overflowing sinks/bathtubs, flooding from faulty appliances and bad pipes. Hiring a water damage restoration company is the best way to pinpoint the exact cause of flooring water damage.

Exterior/Foundations

The exterior of your home can also experience water damage. If there isn’t proper drainage in the yard or if the gutter spouts don’t carry runoff water far away from the house (or if the gutters leak), water can pool next to the house and if left untreated, cause even more damage to your home’s structure.

Restoration Brothers Stow /Roofs

Stains, mold and wet or swollen installation are signs of a leak in the attic. If your roof has cracked, curled, or missing shingles, damaged flashing or signs of wind/rain damage, it could be vulnerable to leaks, which could result in water damage. Weather in colder climates can cause ice dams to develop on the roof, which can leak into the attic when snow and ice melts. Pay attention to possible problem areas including around roof vents and chimneys, the flashing (where the roof connects with the walls) and the valleys (where two roof planes connect) to help prevent water damage.

Appliances

What to Do If You Find It

If your home has water damage or even if you suspect that you may have a problem, there are professional water damage restoration companies that can help you. First, if you can, locate the problem area. Next, take any necessary steps to prevent any further damage. You may need to soak up standing water on the floor with towels or shut off your home’s water supply.

The information and advice contained in this article is intended as a general guide for informational purposes only. It does not take into account your personal situation. While we at Resolve have significant experience and history operating in the home restoration industry and working closely with construction contractors, we are not licensed as a general or specialty contractor. We encourage you to consider the information we’ve provided but urge you not to rely upon it in place of appropriate professional advice from a licensed, experienced construction contractor.

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