Water damage is sometimes a sneaky threat to your home. Homes located in places such as Cape Coral are sometimes more at risk for unsuspected water damage due to their location and climate. Damage can happen at any time, and does not always leave visual clues of what it’s done to your home. Keeping an eye out for signs of damage can ensure that you’re never caught off guard by the expensive repairs needed to undo water damage that has gotten out of control.
Keeping your eyes and nose open to signs of water damage means looking out for these tell-tale signs:
- Musty odors – Water damage usually goes hand in hand with rot and mold. If you notice that a room or area of your home smells especially musty, or like it needs to be aired out, you may have hidden mold growth somewhere. Check under carpets and behind furniture for potential spots where damage could occur.
- Visible mold – Mold that you can actually see, like mildew on a wall, is a definite sign that there is water damage. Mold grows in damp places, so for there to be mold, there must be some sort of constant source of water. Sometimes, like in a shower, this mildew can come off easily with some simple scrubbing, but sometimes the mold has penetrated the surface and will need to be replaced.
- Stains on ceiling or walls – If water has dripped or is leaking from one floor to the other, you’ll be able to see some kind of stain on the ceiling of the room below the leak. Sometimes the stain is brown because the water has come from outside and is dirty, but most times it will just look like a darker shadow on the wall or ceiling. If you can safely reach the stain, a recent leak will still feel wet to the touch.
- Warped or sagging walls – When water leaks behind or through a wall, there will be places where the wall looks like it’s sagging, or warped. The water will make plaster and other wallpaper heavy, and drag it down without showing any signs of being wet. If there’s any kind of deformation of your walls, it’s time to pause and investigate.
- Peeling paint – Paint will show the same warning signs as wallpaper, where though the paint itself doesn’t look wet and doesn’t show signs of mold, it will begin to bubble up and peel as the water damages the wall behind the paint. If you suddenly notice the paint peeling in a room that doesn’t get an abundance of hot, damp air, you know you’ve got a bigger problem lurking beneath the surface.
While water damage could spell bad news for your family’s health and the health of your home, finding signs of damage doesn’t necessarily mean the end. If you’ve managed to catch it early enough, repairing the damage shouldn’t be too expensive, nor too difficult. If you’re unsure if you have water damage in your home or you’re unsure what to do now that you’ve identified some sure signs of water damage, call a professional. They can help examine your home and help you map out a realistic and sustainable plan for getting your home back to peak health.
