Water damage and flooding is extremely frustrating and can cost you thousands in repairs if you can’t detect it.
Depending on the type of home you live in…
you may be at a higher risk of water damage.
The age of your home and how it was built plays a big part in the structure and insulation which…
could prove to be a source for potential water damage.
Older homes:
Most older homes are built with solid wood with little to no insulation.
Older homes may have no wall vapor barriers with little to no air conditioning.
The lack of insulation allows air to flow from outside into your home. This makes it colder but more efficient in preventing trapped moisture.
Newer Homes:
Newer homes with laminate floors, full air conditioning, may be heavily insulated and wrapped in plastic vapor barriers.
However, the extensive insulation could lead to long term problems.
Insulation can change the airflow throughout the building…
resulting in reduced air movement and trapped moisture.
This can make water damage problems or mold and bacteria arise, which is frustrating because it’s out of your control.
In addition, incorrect installation of our heating, ventilation, and air conditioning can cause dripping water, condensation build up and water damage in your basement or attic.
Make sure your home is inspected, repaired, and insulated by professional remediation services to prevent this.
How your home was built:
When a house is being built the structure on the building site can be exposed to the weather for weeks.
If the building is built wet mold and bacteria can grow on the structure of your home leading to long-term problems.
Besides obvious causes of water damage such as water pipe bursts, appliances malfunctions or natural flooding from storms and drains, here are some less obvious ways of water entering your home:
Less obvious ways of moisture entering your home :
- Diffusion: This is water from the outside of your home moving to dry areas. Unfinished wood or brick work allows moisture to progress from wet to dry.
- Stack Effect: When moisture filled air rises from a basement or crawl space into a living area.
- Hot moving to cold: During warmer seasons outside air moves towards cooler inside conditions. When the hot air meets the cool walls, this creates condensation in the drywall.
- Wind Pressure: Wind and rain can drive water into a building. Storms can force rain into homes and create floods, backflows, or any other unwanted water damage.
Many causes for water damage are out of our control but….
They can be prevented by getting our homes inspected by a reputable water damage repair service. Our homes are one of our biggest investments, we should do as much as we can to protect them.