Causes of Residential Water Damage in Orlando

5/30/2019 (Permalink)

Pipe bursts and fixture leaks are a common cause of water damage in both residential and commercial properties.

Water damage is a terrible event that can have devastating consequences for your home in Orlando if it is not properly and quickly addressed. This happens as excessive amounts of water start pooling up where it does not belong. There are a number of factors that can cause excessive water build up and resulting damage. They include the following:

• Plumbing system problems
• Leaking or burst pipes
• Water buildup in spaces that tend to gather water like residential attics, crawl spaces, and basements
• Issues with your HVAC systems (heating and air conditioning)
• Malfunctioning or defective appliances
• Natural disasters and ugly weather created problems

Once you are aware of the likely suspects causing this damage, you can take proper steps to head off floods and leaks before they get out of hand. The faster you recognize the issue, the less work the water extraction process will require. It will save you a great amount of damage restoration work and repairs as well.

Plumbing System Problems

It is true that occasional plumbing issues will happen behind the walls. You can not detect these when they occur. Many other issues start when pipe joints or hoses are not correctly attached. By taking an occasional look under your sink, you should be able to head off most serious plumbing issues. Clogged drains are another common cause of overflowing sinks, toilets, and bathtubs leading to water damage.

Leaking or Burst Pipes

Leaking pipes (or those which burst) are all too common causes of damage by water. Toilets and drains can back up, which causes a blockage. This leads to excess pressures on the pipes that respond by either leaking or bursting altogether. Improperly functioning garbage disposals are another frequent reason for why pipes can burst. Roots growing into sewer lines are yet another. Finally, if your pipes are rusty or simply old, this can cause them to leak over time.

Water Buildup in Spaces that Tend to Gather Water

Some places that lie hidden in your home have a greater tendency to suffer from accumulating water and resulting damage. This includes basements, crawl spaces, and attics. Crawl spaces themselves are built under houses so that workers can gain access to install electrical wiring and pipes.

The problem with this is that such damp and dark crawl spaces encourage mold to thrive. This leads to structural damage. Moisture that drips down through concrete foundations leads to basement leaks. Air getting in between the house and the attic causes condensation on the roof underside. This can create mold growth and rot. You should check around your house from time to time, especially accessible pipes.

Issues with HVAC Systems

HVAC systems include heating, air conditioning, and ventilating systems. They commonly cause water-related damage. If air conditioners are not routinely serviced, then this leads to a buildup of moisture. The cooling moisture encourages mold to grow in the ducts of the air conditioning system.

Malfunctioning or Defective Appliances

Appliances age with time, causing the piping to rust and the hoses to weaken. This includes refrigerators, washing machines, dishwashers, and water heaters that can all be subject to deterioration. You should closely watch machines that are older. Hot water heaters and washing machines are generally the two appliances that create this kind of damage in a house.

Natural Disasters and Ugly Weather Created Problems

You can not control natural disaster borne water issues. But you might undertake all necessary preventative safety measures before they strike to mitigate their impacts on your house. Hurricanes, flash floods, and unexpected storms all lead to damaging water buildup. Clogged rain gutters, roof damage, and cracks in the foundation are common causes of water damage during bad weather.

The Water Removal Process

Fortunately, there is a process of water extraction that can remove nearly all of the water in your Orlando home. Professionals like our staff at SERVPRO Winter Park can decrease the drying time to stop mold or additional water damage from occurring. We utilize truck mounted vacuums and potent pumps in order to rapidly take away from hundreds to thousands of gallons in excess water.

Step One: Pack Out

Should your house require an extensive cleanup and restoration job, our professionals will efficiently move you out to save your belongings from suffering from additional damage.

Step Two: Emergency Water Removal

Expertly trained water removal techs will start removing water almost right away. They could utilize submersible pumps along with industrial grade wet/dry vacs. This crucial step will reduce the amount of time needed to dry the house and aid in heading off secondary water damage and mold before it begins.

Inspect Carpets and Carpet Pad

Our pros will investigate the damage to the carpet and its pads to learn if they need to be taken out to save the sub-floor. We use such detection equipment as hygrometers, moisture detectors, and meters to ascertain the moisture saturation levels. We could utilize infrared cameras to locate that hidden water lurking behind ceilings and walls. Gas powered and submersible pumps do this job of constantly pumping away high levels of water. Our portable and truck-mounted extraction units will ensure effective water removal.

Dehumidifying and Drying

It is possible that once the water has been removed, your residential walls and floors may appear dry but still feel wet when touched. This is because, unfortunately, the majority of building materials (including wood and drywall) retain large amounts of water. This will warp, break down, or swell the material and lead to mold damage as well. It is where the dehumidifying process begins.

Our Orlando experts will manipulate humidity and temperature levels to dry the remaining moisture. We utilize particular equipment ideally suited for this, such as dehumidifiers and air movers. This will get out that water that has been retained. The high-speed air movers will cause an airflow over carpets and pads, furniture, and walls to evaporate the moisture. Our Orlando experts will closely monitor the progress by utilizing moisture meters to determine the point where all materials have reached necessary drying levels.