{"id":11337,"date":"2016-03-29T20:04:11","date_gmt":"2016-03-29T20:04:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.asapdrainandplumbing.com\/dont-forget-storm-preparation-copy\/"},"modified":"2016-03-29T20:04:11","modified_gmt":"2016-03-29T20:04:11","slug":"plumbing-leaks-and-water-damage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.asapdrainandplumbing.com\/plumbing-leaks-and-water-damage\/","title":{"rendered":"Plumbing Leaks and Water Damage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whether small or large plumbing leaks<\/strong>, ignoring a water problem can lead to building damage and even health concerns surprisingly quickly.\u00a0 And leaks can be hidden from view.\u00a0 Surfaces\u00a0may seem dry\u00a0but underneath carpet or other flooring, as well as inside walls, you could have a growing problem.\u00a0 Damp insulation is ineffective, increasing your\u00a0heating and cooling bills.\u00a0 Slowly but surely drywall and plaster deteriorate, wood (whether flooring,\u00a0trim, or structural) warps, splits, and decays. Given enough time concrete weakens and wiring corrodes. You could even end up with major structural damage.\u00a0 And excess moisture from a leak can lead to mold and its accompanying damage and health hazards.<\/p>\n

So lets go over some key things you need to know.<\/p>\n

Home Insurance Coverage<\/h2>\n

The first question most people have is “Does my insurance policy cover plumbing leak water damage?”\u00a0 Like most questions involving home insurance coverage, the answer is “yes and no.”\u00a0 Most policies do not cover the actual plumbing or appliance repair itself.\u00a0 Whether home insurance covers resulting water damage depends on the nature of the problem.<\/p>\n

The key factor is whether the damage occurred gradually or suddenly.\u00a0 For a burst pipe or water heater the answer is usually yes.\u00a0 In fact, most policies will cover the costs of preventing further damage through professional dry-out services.\u00a0 But if it’s a small leak slowly causing harm the answer is almost always no.\u00a0 The principle is that even though the leak may be non-obvious it’s up to the homeowner to keep up with maintenance and be on the alert for problems.<\/p>\n

Some Numbers<\/h2>\n
    \n
  • Combining several nation-wide studies, the average home wastes 10-15% of their water usage because of neglected or unknown leaks.\u00a0 Most of that is at faucets and toilets where the water goes right down the drain without causing harm.\u00a0 But it’s something to keep in mind.<\/li>\n
  • Harm\u00a0from pluming leaks and frozen pipes is the second most common loss submitted to insurance companies.<\/li>\n
  • Of all water damage reported less than 10% is caused by weather whereas\u00a0nearly 1\/3 is from appliances, and well over 1\/2 from plumbing problems.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Small Plumbing Leaks<\/h3>\n

    Some wasters are so small you don’t see any puddles.\u00a0 Just damp areas, often under the sink inside cabinets of vanities.\u00a0But even these can lead to mold and gradual destruction. Common sources include fixture shutoff valves, water heater valves, and ice-maker lines.<\/p>\n

    Hidden Leaks<\/h3>\n

    Just because you can’t track down anything doesn’t mean that you don’t have a leak.\u00a0 They can be out in the yard, underneath the floor slab, or within walls.\u00a0 You may observe damp or warm areas, mold or musty odors, or the water heater running more often.\u00a0 If you can hear running water or spraying sounds, that’s a no\u00a0brainer calling for emergency attention.<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 Or your only clue may be an increase in usage.\u00a0 But the problem is still causing harm, and it might be years before damage becomes obviously visible.\u00a0 A slab leak may seem out of harms way, but can erode the soil under your home and lead to major structural problems.<\/p>\n

    If you have any suspicions, a quick test using the utility’s water meter (you can find lots of videos online) will tell you if you need to call a leak detection professional.<\/p>\n

    Flooding<\/h3>\n

    Homes can be quite literally flooded by a burst pipe or burst water heater,\u00a0or by a ruptured washing machine or dishwasher hose.\u00a0 If you have your doubts,\u00a0 here’s another number for you.\u00a0 A ruptured clothes washer hose can dump 500 gallons of water each hour into the laundry room and on to the rest of your home.\u00a0 No consider that happening while you’re away for the weekend.\u00a0 That’s why some homeowners install a leak alarm or\u00a0an automatic water leak detection and shut-off system.<\/p>\n

    Get Some Answers, Get It Fixed<\/h4>\n

    ASAP Drain Guys & Plumbing employs experienced leak detection experts<\/strong> and backs them up with the latest equipment.\u00a0 We can perform sensitive tests to determine if you indeed have a leak then pinpoint its exact location without any demolition whatsoever.\u00a0 Our plumbers can then fix the\u00a0problem, including slab leak repairs. \t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Whether small or large plumbing leaks, ignoring a water problem can lead to building damage and even health concerns surprisingly quickly.\u00a0 And leaks can be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11339,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[90,114,115,99,116,117,118,119],"class_list":["post-11337","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-ca-slab-leak-detection","tag-hidden-plumbing-leaks","tag-hidden-plumbing-leaks-san-diego","tag-local-plumber-san-diego","tag-plumber-leak-detection","tag-plumbing-leaks-san-diego","tag-water-leak-detection-plumber","tag-water-leak-detection-plumber-san-diego"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.asapdrainandplumbing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11337","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.asapdrainandplumbing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.asapdrainandplumbing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.asapdrainandplumbing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.asapdrainandplumbing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11337"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.asapdrainandplumbing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11337\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.asapdrainandplumbing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11339"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.asapdrainandplumbing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11337"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.asapdrainandplumbing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11337"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.asapdrainandplumbing.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11337"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}