4 Common Signs That You Have Hidden Water Damage In Your Home

Water damage is a common problem for homeowners, and it should be dealt with as soon as it occurs. However, water damage sometimes happens in areas of your home that you do not usually see, so you might not know that it has occurred right away. Here are some signs to be on the lookout for to know if you have hidden water damage in your home.

1. A Higher Water Bill

The first sign of hidden water damage may be unexpected but can be monitored. If you notice that your water bill has gone up recently and you aren’t sure why, you may have water damage somewhere you don’t know about. You may have a leaky pipe dripping water somewhere in your home. You should start looking for the source of the water damage so you can get it fixed and stop the water from causing more damage. You can then repair whatever water damage has occurred.

2. A Musty Odor

Mold and mildew go hand-in-hand with water damage. If you notice a rotten, musty smell in certain rooms of your house, there is probably water damage nearby, causing mold to form. This is common in areas of your home with poor ventilation, such as basements, attics, crawl spaces, and bathrooms. Mold contaminates the air you breathe and can make you sick if it is left for a long time, so you should find where it is growing, repair the water damage, and clean up the mold or mildew to keep your home safe.

3. Warped Floorboards

If you have had water damage or flooding, it may continue to cause problems even after you soak up all the water on the surface. Water has also likely seeped into the floors and walls of your home, weakening the materials inside. Floorboards or tiling may start to warp out of shape. They will likely also lose their adhesiveness and start separating from the wall and each other. Floorboards will start to curl inward away from the wall. This means you will need to get water damage repaired underneath them to fix them.

4. Peeling Paint

Water damage can wreak havoc on your paint. If water damage has occurred and soaked into your walls, the paint will likely start to soften and peel. You may also notice some small, spider web-like cracks forming in the paint. This is another sign that water damage is messing it up. Water may also form small pockets that look like bubbles in the paint as it pools there. Painting over any of these flaws will not help unless you find the source of the water damage and repair it first. If you don’t, any new paint you put on will only continue to peel, crack, and bubble.

Water Damage—Baton Rouge, Louisiana

If you find any signs of water damage in your home, call Restoration 1 of East Baton Rouge to help you out. They will be able to stop the water, repair the damage, and restore your home so you can be assured that the water damage is taken care of.