Do I Have a Water Leak in My Jamestown Home?

5/24/2020 (Permalink)

Water damage can structurally affect your home even if it can't be seen. Contact SERVPRO to mitigate the situation.

Water Losses Can be Destructive and Challenging to Restore if Not Met Early, Our SERVPRO Professionals Can Help With Thorough Inspections and Restoration Approaches

As destructive as water losses in Jamestown can often be, they are not often as easily identified as you might believe. Sometimes homeowners might not even recognize that they have a steady leak in their house until they get their water utility bill to see an increase in usage beyond normal parameters. The trouble is, though water service employees might be able to tell you when it is likely your home has a leak, your water meter does not divulge where this problem might exist.

With most of the plumbing in the house buried in walls and structural cavities, the need for water cleanup in Jamestown homes is not always visible on the surface. Identifying the leaks in your house can require more advanced tools and equipment than you have at your disposal, so many have turned to our SERVPRO team to help locate plumbing breaches and repair the damage before the situation gets more out of control.

How Do I Tell If I Have a Leak?

You might be among the many homeowners that are not going to leap at the opportunity to spend their money on plumbing companies or our restoration teams in Jamestown without reason. While a higher bill might not immediately convince you of a persistent leak or broken fixture, there are some other indicators that leaking has occurred in an area over an extended period. These include:

• Water Stains – Water from your pipes has minerals and even additives to make it safe and sanitary for your consumption. When this water passes through porous materials, it can leave residues of these minerals behind. Iron and manganese are among the most noticeable of water stains, though any discoloration should be a point of concern.
• Soft or Sagging Materials – If ceiling materials or wall surfaces are soft to the touch, you might have found a substantial moisture pocket. A short time beyond noticing soft materials, these areas have typically become heavily saturated to the point where they begin to sag or bloat. 
• Mold Growth – One of the earliest indications that microbial threats have taken root are spots that form on the surface of materials like wood flooring, supports, or drywall. If you notice mold growth, you have an issue with moisture content.  

Can SERVPRO Find the Leak to Fix It?

Entrusting your home to the capable hands of our SERVPRO team is not always an easy decision. However, it can help you to locate the leak more efficiently and immediately work to repair the present damages. Plumbing breaks do not improve on their own or reseal themselves, so our team needs to locate where these problems exist, open up the wall for access, and get to replacing or repairing the damaged portions of the pipe. We can utilize several strategies to minimize the demolition in your home however possible, and these include:

• Surface Moisture Meters – To identify the concentration of moisture pockets beyond the top of materials like drywall, wood flooring, and ceiling tiles, we can utilize moisture meters. These tools measure the severity of moisture concerns, helping to pinpoint the area where breaks have occurred. 
• Thermal Imagery – With the use of infrared imagery, we can identify temperature differences that can often indicate the presence of water beyond surface materials. This science can often help diagnose where drying should begin and where drywall must be removed to access damaged plumbing. 
• In-House Licensed Residential Contractors – Experience counts when it comes to actions like controlled demolition. You want the discarding of materials to be as minimal as possible, as this saves both time and money when it comes to rebuilding and repairs. 

When is Controlled Demolition Necessary?

While it has gotten established that this demolition is needed for your home to access the damaged portions of plumbing, other conditions can also indicate that materials have become too severely damaged to salvage. These include:

• Deterioration
• Sagging
• Bloating
• Warping
• Distortion
• Microbial Growth

How Soon Can Reconstruction Begin?

The benefit of choosing our SERVPRO team is that you have the full measure of qualified restoration specialists and reconstruction contractors on the same roster. We can seamlessly transition after mitigation to the rebuilding and repair of your home so things can get back to normal more quickly.

Cleaning up after a water loss incident, including the demolition and rebuilding, is not something most homeowners can handle on their own. Let our SERVPRO of Jamestown / Olean team make it “Like it never even happened,” by calling (716) 338-4901.