Discovering a leak in your home is never a good thing. Depending on the severity of the leak, it can cause untold amounts of damage to your property. Small leaks in the bathroom might just cause staining and damp issues, but a leak in your attic could seep through and cause problems in other rooms.
The worst thing is, improper action will just make a leak get worse. What starts off as a minor issue turns into one that affects your whole home. So, here’s what you need to do when you discover a water leak.
What To Do When You Discover A Leak In Your Home
1. Keep it Contained
If possible, try to contain the leak in any way you can. The most obvious idea is to put a bucket or a tray underneath it. This will ensure the water doesn’t leak into other parts of your home.
It’s especially useful in cases where you have to wait a long time for the leak to be fixed. If you just let it drip onto the floor or inside of your bathroom cabinet, you’re asking for some expensive water damage.
Most leaks are easily visible and can be contained this way. The only time it might not work is when you have a leak within the walls. In which case, you’ll only notice it when the damage starts to appear, so you should immediately move to step number two.
2. Call Professional Help Immediately
There’s no reason to waste time when you have a water leak. As soon as you notice it, call a professional. Your best bet is to ring a local plumber and get them to come and check it out.
Ideally, you want someone that offers emergency service so they can come out right away. The longer you wait, the worse the leak is likely to become.
Obviously, spend a bit of time looking at reviews or asking for recommendations, just to be sure you hire a good plumber. Still, this is a decision you should make in hours, not days!
It’s possible that a leak or issue with water has already caused significant problems for your property. If that’s the case, then you should think about using a property damage restoration service. They can make sure that any problems here are handled the right way and get your home back in the right condition.
3. Avoid Tampering With Anything
What can cause a water leak? Type that into Google and you’ll find loads of possible answers. Funnily enough, that’s a big problem.
Water leaks could be caused by all sorts of things, and you are unlikely to know what has caused yours. There is a reason there are professionals in this field. So, it doesn’t make sense to mess with anything and attempt to fix the leak yourself.
Unless you have plumbing experience, the chances are that you’ll just make things worse. Many people have fallen victim to this – they try to fix a leaky pipe, only for it to burst and shower your home with more water. Or, they try to fix it and cause even further issues and more expensive repairs.
Leaks are a real danger to both your home, your belongings, and your finances. Not only does it damage the things you own, but it can waste so much water. The longer it stays unfixed, the more money you waste on your water bill. Follow these three steps to get things sorted as quickly as possible!
