Have You Noticed Peeling Paint or Wallpaper, Patches of Discoloration, or a Musty Smell?
Having a water leak inside your home is never welcomed. Most water leaks are inside your walls and hard for you to discover until damage to your Buffalo, NY home has already occurred. Water leaks can be nerve-wracking and overwhelming because you usually can’t see the source of the actual leak. Have you noticed peeling paint or wallpaper, patches of discoloration, and/or a musty smell? If so, you may have a water leak inside your home.
How to Identify a Water Leak
There are several key indicators to let you know that you likely have a water leak. Below are some signs that you have a water leak inside your home.
– Wet or discolored drywall, paint, or wallpaper
– Water-stained trim
– Change in wall texture (bubble-like texture)
– Damp masonry
– Musty odor
– Dripping sound coming from the wall or ceiling
– Mold or mildew buildup
– Puddle on the floor near the wall or drips from the ceiling
– Increased water bill
Finding the Leak
If you have discovered that you have a water leak inside your home, you’ll need to find the source of the water to stop the leak. Often times where you see the water or moisture built up, may not be where the actual leak is.
– Check your Inside Plumbing: Turn off all faucets and appliances that use water in your Buffalo, NY home, and write down the reading on the water meter. Wait at least 3 hours and review the water meter again. If the amount of water used has increased, that is usually a sign that the leak is coming from your inside plumbing.
– Examine Outdoor Above Ground Plumbing: Look for clogged gutters, downspouts, and worn caulking, and inspect the flashing on exterior entrances such as vents, chimneys, windows, and doors. Excess rainwater with no downspout to flow through will eventually make its way through your roof and walls, creating leaks. If you notice that eaves or downspouts are clogged, remove the material creating the clog (pine needles, leaves, nests, etc.) and restore the flow of water.
– Investigate Outdoor Below Ground Plumbing: If you have a water leak inside your home and it is coming through at the ground level or lower, you may have exterior water issues. Common sources of this type of leak are broken sprinkler pipes or outdoor water spigots, improper drainage from downspouts, french drains or grading that slopes toward the house, and/or cracks in your foundation.
Contact a Local Plumber to Fix the Water Leak Inside Your Home
If you have found a water leak inside your home, you should contact a local plumber to resolve the issue. A plumber will be able to identify if there are larger plumbing issues and ensure that they have fixed the actual root cause of your water leak.
Reimer is your locally trusted plumber in Buffalo and Western New York. Our full-service plumbing team is ready to help with whatever your home needs, from thawing frozen pipes to cleaning out your shower drain. Our Buffalo plumbers are available Day or Night to help you and your home. We provide upfront estimates and we don’t charge you anything extra for service on nights or weekends.
When you need a plumber, don’t hesitate to call or contact us online.
