What Could Have Caused My Water Leak in Your Advance Home?

10/10/2020 (Permalink)

Unfortunately, no amount of vigilance or dedication to proper maintenance can entirely eliminate your risks of a water leak.

The Water Leak in Your Advance Home Could Have Been Caused by Any of a Number of Things, Like a Leaky Pipe, Damaged Roof, Clogged Drainage System, Malfunctioning Appliance, or a Deteriorated Water Container.

One of the greatest threats to your Advance home is an undetected persistent water leak.  Several things can cause these troublesome issues, each arising in different parts of your house and requiring distinct methods and tools to solve.  Leaks range from the readily apparent to the hard to detect.  While one of the most common causes of these household problems, a ruptured water pipe, is clearly visible and catastrophic, other, slower sources of escaping water could cause the same amount of damage over the long term.  Slow leaks from damaged roofs, degraded pipes, backed up drainage systems, malfunctioning appliances, and corroded water containers can be quite insidious and substantially impair your property if not caught early enough.

What Can Cause Pipe Leaks?
SERVPRO, a service that offers water removal in Advance, has seen the various ways pipes develop water leaks.  Sometimes they suddenly and dramatically fail, gushing gallons of water in a matter of minutes, while other times they deteriorate slowly and merely release trickles of liquid.  The following are some of the ways your pipes may develop leaks:

    •    Extreme fluctuations in temperatures over a short period of time
    •    High water pressure
    •    Blocked lines
    •    Defective parts
    •    Poorly secured water connectors
    •    Broken seals around water connectors
    •    Damaged pipe fittings or valves
    •    Corroded or otherwise degraded pipes
    •    Displacement or penetration by tree roots

While great and rapid variations in temperature tend to cause most pipe leaks, they are also caused by numerous other things like systemic issues, defective parts, and normal wear and tear.  By simply keeping your home properly heated and allowing your faucets to drip during cold spells, you can often avoid most pipe ruptures associated with temperature changes.  You can avoid the other common causes of leaks by having your pipes routinely inspected by a reputable service like SERVPRO.

How Can My Roof Develop a Water Issue?
Your home’s roof protects you and your family from the weather outside.  It serves this often difficult function throughout the year, through all the seasonal weather extremes.  In the winter, your roof stoically deals with cold temperatures and heavy snows.  It repels heavy rains during the spring and over the summer and fall months, it bravely defends your home from the powerful winds and driving rains of tropical storms.  However, this strong barrier against the elements also has some weaknesses and can degrade over time.  Here are some of the ways SERVPRO experts think your roof could eventually develop leaks:

    •    Missing or broken shingles
    •    Cracked flashing under shingles
    •    Improperly sealed areas where two roof planes come together
    •    Broken seals around roof vents
    •    Deteriorated chimneys and skylights
    •    Clogged gutters
    •    Ice dams that prevent water drainage from the edges of your roof

Fortunately, each of these issues can be prevented by periodically having your roof checked for damage.

How Could My Drainage System Become Blocked?
As you can imagine, your home’s drainage network is exceedingly important for drawing water away from your residence.  If this network becomes blocked for any reason, it could cause stormwater to seep into your attic, drip down behind the walls of your house, or flow back toward your home’s foundation.  These are just a few things that could cause a blockage to develop:

    •    Fallen leaves in the autumn filling up gutters
    •    Storm debris like tree limbs and trash preventing water from draining off your roof
    •    Mud produced by heavy rains blocking pipes and drains
    •    Fallen trees and other storm-related trash filling up drainage ditches and canals
    •    Water freezing in gutters or drainage pipes

In order to prevent such blockages, SERVPRO suggests that you always keep a watchful eye on your drainage network and ensure that it is in good working order.

What Can Cause a Malfunctioning Appliance to Leak Water?
Another reason you might require water removal services is a malfunctioning appliance.  Often, a faulty or old water heater, washing machine, dishwasher, or refrigerator is the culprit.  Several issues could potentially cause your appliance to leak, like:
    •    Corrosion and rust
    •    Degraded hoses or gaskets
    •    Defective or old valves
    •    Clogs caused by minerals like calcium, magnesium, lime, and iron deposits

Once again, SERVPRO professionals assert that these are relatively simple problems to avoid and just require that you remain diligent in maintaining your appliances.

Unfortunately, no amount of vigilance or dedication to proper maintenance can entirely eliminate your risks of a water leak.  So, if you ever need a leak repaired and water removed from your residence, call your helpful neighbors at SERVPRO of Davie & Yadkin Counties at (336) 677-1415 for assistance.