One of the many causes of water damage in the home: A water damage emergency in Philadelphia from a toilet overflow upstairs
What you can do to prevent the Top 5 Causes of water damage in the home?
The most common cause of water damage in the home are broken pipes & hoses
Things like a burst water main, aging old pipes, washing machine supply hoses and ice maker supply lines that fail. The remedy? – get Thee to Home Depot or Lowes and buy the metal braided washing machine lines and copper pipes for ice makers. Have a plumber come in and inspect pipes in old homes and replace them with PVC if necessary.
- A few dollars spent now is worth thousands later!
The second most common cause of water damage? Accidents!
Overflowing bathtubs or broken toilets. The most common cause? Children! Anyone reading this post who has small children can relate – probably with a smile and a story of your own. Remedy – Watch kids! Water is fascinating, especially when it’s flowing over the tub and toilet rim!
The third most common cause of water damage? A sewer back up!
– Oooo, nasty! And the most common cause of this? Tree roots invading and clogging drain lines. Why? Because trees like the readily available fertilizer and water! Remedy: Home Depot and Lowes both sport “enzyme” drain treatments to flush on a monthly basis during Spring and Summer months when tree roots grow most prolifically.
The fourth most common cause of water damage in the home? It’s long term basement humidity
What causes that? Hydrostatic pressure and aging infrastructure. The simple solution: install a dehumidifier. However, that’s a symptomatic fix and only works for a small amount of water. For large scale water intrusion, contact the experts – home inspectors first – to get an assessment. Once you receive the report, and ONLY then, contact a basement waterproofing expert and make sure you get THREE quotes.
And last, but not least, the fifth most common cause of water damage? Flash flooding
This is the rarest type of water intrusion in the home. It occurs when you least expect it (like Monty Python’s Spanish Inquisition) and in areas that traditionally don’t expect flooding. Remedy – Always purchase flood insurance if available!
