The bathroom is a common location of water damage in homes in Kansas. There are ways you can help reduce the risk of water damage and a costly restoration, like keeping up with routine maintenance. By performing regular inspections on bathroom appliances, you can find problems sooner and get them addressed before they lead to major water damage. Here are some more ways that you can keep your bathroom free from water damage and save yourself from a costly water damage restoration.
Tips To Prevent Bathroom Water Damage
1. Check The Plumbing Regularly
You should inspect the pipes in your bathroom regularly and look for any signs that may indicate they are leaking. As pipes age, they will begin to rust and corrode, which can weaken the pipe’s integrity and lead to leaks. Checking your pipes at least once a year can help you catch the signs of damaged pipes and get them repaired before leaks occur. The pipe under sinks and to the toilet, and other pipes that you can visibly inspect need to be checked on a regular basis.
2. Inspect Your Shower And Tub
Grout and caulk around tubs and showers seal these fixtures and prevent water from leaking out and around them. If you notice separation in caulk or grout or areas that are chipped, cracked, or deteriorating in places, get it repaired and resealed before any water is used in the area. Consider reapplying caulk every few years to avoid any leaks before they can occur.
3. Keeps Drains Clean
Clogged or backed-up drains disrupt water flow. When water is not able to flow freely down drains, it will back up and overflow. Excess soap scum, grime, and hair can clog drains in bathrooms. Drain shields and guards keep materials from going down the drain, which helps prevent clogging. They catch and stop excess grime, scum, and hair so that you can wipe them down and throw them out instead of letting them go down the drain.
These drain guards are inexpensive, can be purchased from the local hardware store, and are simply placed over the drain. You should also clean your drains periodically with either a commercial-grade drain cleaner or a mixture of baking soda, vinegar, and hot water to clean off build-up from inside the drainpipe.
4. Take Care Of Your Toilet
Toilets can clog and overflow easily and frequently when not cared for or used properly. Make sure that you are not flushing too much toilet down the toilet, and do not flush anything other than toilet paper. Sanitary wipes and personal hygiene products should be thrown in the garbage instead of flushed down the toilet, where they can get stuck in the plumbing and cause clogs and sewage backup.
If you have small children in your home, do not let them flush items down the toilet, and teach them that only small amounts of toilet paper go in the toilet. Keep your toilet clean, and watch the water level in the toilet bowl. If it is too low or too high, that could be a sign of a drainage problem somewhere. This could save you from a costly water damage restoration.
Main Sources of Water Leaks:
To identify the source of the leak, there are a few different places the tub or shower might leak:
- Faucets
- Seals
- Grout (around the sides of the tub)
- Drain
- Pipes
- A Misaligned Shower Door
- Overflow Outlet
- Shower Drain Pan
Is there a simple solution? If your drain is leaking, you can get a temporary fix for it by buying a drain plug that can hold off the water a little more securely. Or take apart a leaky faucet to clean up any deposits or buildup with vinegar.
If the drain seems well-sealed and the grout is fine, then the leak is more than likely coming from the pipes themselves, underneath the bathtub. However, by the time you find a more complicated leak, you may already have significant water damage to your walls, floors, and inside the walls.
1. Clogged Drains
Dirt, grease, soap, and hair can add up to a backed-up shower drain. The blockage remains since the water can’t adequately go down, and the composition of the blockage creates an inviting space for mold to grow. As the dampness increases, the dark, humid area can become a magnet for mold spores. And since you can’t see them until the damage is done, the restoration process is often more costly.
2. A Tiny Bathtub Might Be a Sign…
A pipe leaking under your bathtub may or may not be a big deal, but if one pipe is leaking, it’s often a sign that others are, too. Since your water lines are probably all the same age, if you notice a weakness in one pipe, it’s very likely in others, too. And some of those pipes could cause serious damage to your home. Call Lamunyon to get ahead of water damage now before it progresses.
When moisture is a problem in your bathroom space, you could be inviting a host of other problems into your home, such as mold growth, rodents, pests, and insects. Long-term moisture problems or problems that go undetected for a long time can even cause severe structural damage to your home.
These water damage restoration professionals provide a range of services to help home and business owners who have been affected by a disaster. Whether it is a fire, a flood, a mold problem, or a crumbling foundation, our water damage cleanup experts know how to properly provide the necessary clean-up procedures as well as how to start putting the pieces back together, whether this means taking care of mold that may be growing or replacing damaged walls and flooring, these water damage restoration experts are here to help.
Water Damage Restoration In Kansas
Keeping your bathroom clean and performing regular inspections can greatly reduce the risk of water damage. If you do suffer any type of water damage in your bathroom or anywhere else in your home, call the water damage restoration experts at Lamunyon.
