There’s nothing worse than finding water damage in your Edmonton home. Whether it’s a burst pipe, a broken appliance, or spring water run-off, water is the most damaging home disaster. If caught early enough, the damage is often easy to fix. However, prolonged water damage can permanently affect your home’s structural integrity.
So, what can you do to protect your Edmonton home from water damage? Here’s how to identify the cause of a leak, repair it, and prevent it from happening again.
In this guide:
Find the Source of the Damage
Ideally, homeowners should perform a thorough inspection of their property every 3-6 months to check for water damage. This is especially true during the spring when spring water run-off increases the risk of leaks.
Usually, however, homeowners notice the telltale signs of water damage first. These include:
- Water stains on walls or ceilings
- Swelling or warping of floors
- Musty or mouldy smell
- Peeling or bubbling paint or wallpaper
- Visible mould growth
- Increased humidity inside the house
- Soggy or damp carpet
- Water accumulation in basement or crawl spaces
- Rusting of pipes or hardware
- Cracks in foundation or exterior walls
Once you’ve spotted these signs, it’s crucial to trace the water’s flow back to the source. Remember, water always flows from top to bottom, taking the path with the least resistance. It can run along walls, beams, and through small holes.
Hiring a professional home renovator is often sensible. These professionals have access to specialised moisture monitors and infrared cameras that can detect leaks behind walls and ceilings.
Potential Causes of Water Damage
Where you first notice the water damage is often a key indicator of the cause. Discolouration on the ceiling, for example, points towards a leaky roof or gutter.
There are three potential sources of water damage:
Interior Plumbing. Everything from a burst pipe to a broken appliance can cause water damage in your Edmonton home. The easiest way to check if this is the cause is to turn off your water, leave it for three hours, and see if there’s an increase in your water meter. You should also perform a thorough check of your main appliances, e.g., dishwashers and washing machines.
Exterior Roof Issues. Clogged gutters, compromised caulking, and damaged roofing can all cause water to trickle into the house. Often, these leaks are small; however, the continuous flow of water from high up can lead to significant damage. Inspect the roof, gutters, doors, windows, and any other openings for a potential problem. Cleaning your eavestroughs regularly helps prevent them from clogging up.
Exterior Ground-Level Issues. Less common than the other sources, improper drainage can cause leaks from sprinkler pipes, downspouts, and French drains to flow towards your home.
One of the main causes of Edmonton home water damage is spring water run-off. This often results from melting snow and ice that can overwhelm both roof and ground-level drainage systems. Edmonton’s weather changes rapidly. As such, maintaining your home’s water barrier and drainage systems before the thaw sets in prevents any costly water damage.
Repairing Any Water Damage
If left or ignored, even a small trickle of water can cause untold damage throughout your home. Naturally, the humid environment increases the growth of mould and mildew. For people with respiratory problems, it can cause severe reactions, exacerbating their symptoms.
Other potential damage includes:
- Structural damage is the most concerning aspect. Prolonged exposure to moisture rots wood, rusts steel, and even dissolves concrete. Entire walls or floors can become soft and spongy. Worse, the moisture invites pests like termites and cockroaches, which further add to the damage.
- Electrical damage can involve short circuits, power outages, and even fires. Meanwhile, plumbing damage occurs due to the increased water pressure or damage to pipes.
- Cosmetic damage is often cheaper to fix but can include stained ceilings, walls, and floors as the paint bubbles and peels.
- Furniture and appliance damage ruins your home furnishings and expensive machines, rendering them useless and requiring costly replacements.
If the water damage is caught early, it might only require a quick lick of paint. However, the most important first step is to reseal your home – replacing any damaged caulking, flashing, and cleaning your gutters. Once your home is waterproof again, you can start inspecting the damage and determining what needs to be removed.
It’s tempting to try to fix the problem yourself. This is a mistake. Often, the extent of the water damage is hidden from view, especially if it’s related to the property’s structure. The only sensible approach is to hire a home renovation expert to perform a comprehensive inspection. They can determine the exact location of the leak, removing and replacing any damaged parts of the building’s structure.
Otherwise, you carry the risk of persistent mould growth, structural deterioration, pest infestations, health problems, and a lingering odour. Moreover, when you finally tackle the real problems, the cost will have spiralled due to the continuing damage.
Preventing Edmonton Home Water Damage
Preventing water damage in your Edmonton home is much easier than repairing the problem. Remember to clean your gutters and downspouts, replace any damaged exterior caulking, inspect your sprinkler system, and replace any missing roof tiles.
Additionally, consider regular inspections of your home’s plumbing system and appliances to catch any potential leaks early. Ensure that your sump pump is in good working condition, especially before the snow melts in spring. It’s also wise to improve landscaping and grading around your property to ensure water flows away from the foundation, reducing the risk of basement flooding.
If you’re already dealing with water damage in your Edmonton home, don’t panic. Lambert Brothers Construction has extensive experience repairing water-damaged homes and restoring them to their original condition. Contact us today to learn more.
