Having water intrusion in your home can be an overwhelming experience. Not only is it dangerous, but it’s a potentially expensive fix. It is important to assess your situation and figure out if water intrusion is really at play. From there, you can have a better understanding of what the next steps for a solution will be.
Four Signs Of Water Intrusion
Common symptoms of water intrusion include:
- The interior smells musty.
- Wet spots bubbling up.
- Higher than normal water bill.
- When you get unexpected allergies.
As a stucco homeowner, you should be aware of some trigger points that are unique to this kind of structure. Things such as having no sealants around windows or door frames, the wrong joint or a joint that failed, poor application of house wrap, and mistakes with roof kick out can cause intrusion. You could have floor-line cracks or a flat surface on top of supporting beam structures that collect water and become problematic. Poor chimney design with insufficient sealing and a lack of gutters can also create water buildup or water runoff splashes.
As you can see, there are many things that are inherent with stucco homes that can create these water intrusion issues. This is not to mention the common penetration points of any home, such as on electrical boxes, light fixtures, satellite or TV installation points, a new security system, the basic plumbing system, shutter brackets, gas or telephone lines, or the vents for your dryer. If you have a deck for you home, this can also be a common water problem. An obvious one that can be a good place to look is if you have any stucco damage or puncturing in any part of the home.
How To Address The Problem
The University of Florida’s Environmental Health and Safety has pinpointed a few guidelines that can address problematic water intrusion. They state that any sort of damage to ceiling tiles should be replaced immediately. If those tiles have mold, remove them and place them into a sealed bag. The person doing this should use caution to make sure the surrounding area is undisturbed. Water intrusion into ceiling tiles can often happen from common leaks and condensation.
In the case of pipe breaks, the solution can be a moving target due to the amount of time since the breakage, is a big potential factor. There can be a myriad of other factors to be considered. This includes knowing what the pipe contained and transferred, so in that case, you should contact an expert immediately.
Sewer Lines Can Make Things Worse
Sometimes the sewer lines can back up and cause damage to affected areas. Areas that have touched any of the sewage water should be thrown out and removed. Common household items that can be soaked by the contaminated water such as books and paper should be thrown out and even drywall or carpet needs to be ripped out. Of course, the buildup needs to be cleared and then a specialist can start to clean up and remedy the situation.
In the case of flooding from outside influences, the solution for the backup of sewer lines needs to be used in the same way. When water travels from the outside to the inside walls, objects on the walls can trap the water and cause problematic water intrusion. This can damage the paint, but removing the affected area and painting over the surface will not remediate the situation. Once again, you’ll need to call an expert so they can properly diagnose and fix the damage.
With this information, hopefully, you’ll able to identify whether you have a serious problem or not inside of your home. Water intrusion is a scary proposition for any homeowner. Therefore, it’s important to learn these common symptoms and apply them to your situation if applicable. Don’t hesitate to call a specialist if your home does show signs like this, as many of these problems are time sensitive and can be very damaging to your health.
