With rain showers and hurricanes, spring and summer in North Carolina are wet and humid. Unfortunately that moisture and humidity can do more damage than ruining your outdoor plans. It can cause water intrusion, which could leave you with a repair bill in the thousands.
While rain is one of the most common ways water enters your home, it’s far from the only way. We’re going to break down the ways water leaks happen, signs of water leaks, and how you can stop water intrusion yourself.
How Does Water Get Into Your Home?
Roof Leaks
Heavy rain and snow seeping through roof cracks is one of the most common ways water gets into your home.
Flooding
It doesn’t take a catastrophic flood for flood waters to damage your home. If your gutters don’t take the water far enough away from your foundation or you don’t have enough fall around your home, you run the risk of floodwater causing damage.
Pipe Breaks
Sometimes a pipe bursts and it’s instantly obvious that there’s a problem. Other times, a pipe break isn’t so apparent. You might not notice a slow drip until the damage is done.
Sewer Line Backups
A sewer line backup can cause waste water to back up through your toilet, shower, or tub, causing a literal stink.
Brick Walls
Brick is beautiful, but if it’s not properly treated, you could be looking at a water leak. You may think the space between the mortar and the brick is waterproof, but it’s not.
Now that you know how leaks happen, what are the signs of a water leak? Here are the things you should look for if you have experienced heavy rain, a pipe break, or any of the other causes above.
Telltale Signs of a Water Leak
- Water stains on the ceiling
- Sagging ceilings and/or bowing walls
- Bubbling plaster
- Cracks in the exterior of your home
- Water in non-ventilated areas, likely near windows
- Water in your crawlspace
If you notice any of these signs in your home, don’t wait to get it repaired! If you’re in the Raleigh area, call CBT of NC at (919) 847-7072.
How to Stop Water Intrusion
Most water damage needs to be addressed by a professional. But once it’s been fixed, how can you prevent it from happening again? There are a few ways.
Your first course of action and prevention should be fixing the issue that allowed the leak to occur: a roof leak, a plumbing issue, etc. Once you’ve fixed the root of the problem, it’s important to take action to prevent disaster from striking again.
Gutters are a simple, effective way to keep water away from your home. Ensure that your gutters are clean and free of debris and blockages and install downspouts to carry water at least 10 feet from your foundation.
Another way to keep water away from your foundation is making sure you have adequate fall around your house. This means that the area surrounding your home should slope downward at least 6 inches every 10 horizontal feet.
If you have brick on the exterior of your home and are concerned about water seepage, treat the brick areas of your home with water repellant. There are two types of repellants: films and penetrants. We recommend penetrants because they protect the brick and allow water vapor to escape, where films are more likely to trap vapor and cause issues later on.
The most essential steps to keeping your home dry and free of mold and damage is through crawl space waterproofing and basement waterproofing. Depending on your home’s foundation, moisture in these spaces can cause severe structural damage.
Call CBT of NC For Basement and Crawlspace Waterproofing
At Crawl Space & Basement Technologies, we provide comprehensive water damage repair services as well as preventative measures including basement waterproofing and crawl space encapsulation to prevent problems with water damage, moisture, and other disasters. We also offer mold removal services to take care of any growth as a result of water leaks.
Learn more or schedule a consultation by calling or by completing our online contact form.