Water and its Effects on Your Home
As spring and summer storms start into full swing, you may begin to notice changes in your
home. Perhaps the occasional leaky roof, window crack, or broken downspout. Something you
may not notice as quickly, are changes in your foundation due to groundwater.
In this post, we cover some of the major effects that water can have on your home, what to look
for, and how to fix them!
Leaky Roof
This is a fairly obvious issue to spot if there is water dripping on your head in your living room.
This is unlikely to happen though, until you have extensive damage to your roof and attic (if you
have one). In order to identify whether you have a leaky roof before it becomes a big problem,
there are a number of things you should check:
● Algae or Mold on shingles
● Buckling or Curling Shingles
● Damaged Flashing
● Granule Loss
● Lack of Attic Ventilation
● Rotting and Missing Shingles
● Ceiling or Roof Spots
Get more dangers of a leaky roof on Lowe’s blog.
Cracking Foundation
Though this is typically a big issue in the wintertime, water can cause problems with your
foundation year round. The primary areas of your home that may indicate foundation cracks
include:
● A door failing to close completely
● Wall cracks near doors or windows
● Cracks in flooring overtop a concrete slab
● Windows which should open and close properly either stick or do not close properly
To be certain whether these indicators are actually foundation issues, make sure you check the
following as well:
● If you have a crawl space, check whether foundation posts are standing straight or at
angles
● Water pooling
● Weaknesses in the walls or floors indicated by chipping or cracking
● Wet framing
Mold
Mold is typically caused by moisture or water sitting for lengthy periods of time on a surface.
This typically occurs around doors, windows, or other areas which attract moisture. Ways to
prevent it include:
● Making sure spaces are properly ventilated
● Reducing Humidity
● Ensuring your home is not too hot – mold typically grows in warm and dark places
Wondering how to remove mold?
Rot and Rust
Both rotting and rusting structures can pose major problems to your home. What starts out as
“weak” spots in wooden floors or walls, rusting pipes, or other minor problems can turn into
huge issues. Rusty pipes can lead to breaks and flooding, and rotting walls will eventually cause
major structural issues.
Check out our other post “How to control water damage” to learn more about how you can
protect your home!