The walls of your home can leak water due to defective plumbing or rainwater draining down from a cracked roof or burst pipe in your plumbing. Leaks, if not treated for a long period, can lead to serious problems in the walls of your home or business and can be extremely costly when repairs are needed. You can detect these leaks on your own if you are familiar with the signs and know what to look for. Having an inspection of your plumbing by a professional plumbing company will help reveal these problems.
• Is there a standing puddle?
When the floor or the carpet of a particular area of your home remains visibly wet continuously, then it is a sure sign of a leak in your wall. This wet flooring can be seen in the bathroom and near big appliances that use water such as a washing machine dishwasher. As water accumulates in your home, a standing puddle is a indicator of a leak in the pipes.
• Does your wall look discolored?
You will start seeing discoloration or patches in the sections of your walls where water is present. If the surface of your wall looks papered, dry, uneven or slightly washed out then it is sure that your wall is leaking from water build-up.
• Do you see changes in the texture of your wall?
If your wall is leaking, then it will develop a bubble-like texture and the paint or wallpaper will start hanging down. Water will distort the actual texture of the wall in that area where it is present. The water-logged drywall will look saggy and bulged out. Small bubbles on the walls or drooping of the wall is visible these are signs of the presence of water in the wall. This is a notable sign and majority of the time it is a definite sign of water leaks.
• Is there a moldy, damp smell?
There may be times when the leak behind the wall is not visible but you can detect it because of the smell. The bad smells occur when the water is trapped inside the wall and does not dry out producing a humid moldy damp smell.
• Is water dripping from the walls?
Are you able to hear a faint dripping sound even after you turn off the shower or shut off the kitchen sink? This may be due to a leak that is not visible. If your home has iron pipes the sound will not be detectable enough to hear easily, however, if your home has PVC pipes, you will be able to hear the dripping sound easily.
• Is there a defect in your water system?
Check for any defects in your water system. To do this, turn off all the faucets and appliances using water, and monitor your water meter every 3 hours. If the water meter’s reading has increased, then it is a sign of plumbing issues and should be addressed immediately. If the reading does not change in the period of 3 hours, then the leak may be in your roof or basement walls.
• Found a leak now what?
In most cases, the pipes are under the slab of your home. So you if you do have a leak, it
is under the foundation. While there are exception to this (a home built with fresh water pipes in the walls), it is highly unlikely any pipes—fresh water or sewer—are in the actual slab.
Contact Atlas Plumbing for any water main situations you need help with! Our professional and licensed plumbing experts will diagnose the root of the problem to provide an accurate estimate in repairs. Atlas RGV is home to the RGV’s master plumbers, call us to schedule an appointment today (956) 758-3669.