Home maintenance is expensive nowadays, so owners often leave more serious issues, mostly cracks and leaks, for later. However, such a strategy can easily backfire, as there are at least 11 household issues that can cause structural damage if you ignore them long enough.
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Abnormal water pressure
If water gushes every time you turn on the tap, then you might be dealing with high water pressure. Just like elevated blood pressure damages vessels in our body, so does high water pressure damage the pipes it runs through.
When the pressure exceeded the maximum levels the pipes and faucets were designed for, they started deteriorating fast. After a while, seams start to seep water due to the elevated pressure they have continually been exposed to.
Is there a tall tree growing next to your home?
Owning a beautiful garden is a privilege but you need to maintain it properly. Namely, the root system of large trees can undermine the foundations of the house, as well as the pipes, gas lines, and power lines running underneath the house.
If you are planning to plant trees in your backyard, plant them away from the house, nearer to the fence. This way, trees’ roots won’t endanger the structure’s foundations and you will get a green barrier. It will protect you against noise pollution from the street, dust particles, and it will give your extra privacy in summer.
Don’t ignore rust
Although wood is a natural material, huge sections of modern homes are made from various types of metal. From flashings on the roof to water pipes, you mustn’t tolerate rust patches anywhere in the house.
If you see that a pipe has corroded, consider replacing the damaged section before rust gets a chance to spread. Corrosion is a problem not because it ruins the look of your home but because it weakens the metal, making it crack, or in the case of water lines, it causes an imperceptible leak.
Conduct thorough inspections of the roof
Having mentioned the roof, we must say that this is one of the most precarious parts of your home. From violent storms (residents of Canberra still reeling from the 2020 hailstorm) to clogged gutters, there are so many things that can go wrong if you fail to maintain the roof regularly.
Luckily, you needn’t be an experienced roofer to inspect the roof and react in time to prevent serious damage. We would advise you against climbing onto the roof itself, as you can conduct a visual inspection simply by leaning a ladder against the house.
Start the inspection by looking for missing or cracked shingles. Then inspect the flashings, as recaulking them is a DIY job you needn’t a roofer in. Finally, make sure the gutters are clear of any debris, mostly fallen leaves in autumn.
Be aware of the freeze-thaw cycle
Winter is the period of the year when your home is most susceptible to damage. The reason for this are fluctuations in air temperatures during the day and at night. Namely, pipes running underneath the house can easily freeze overnight and then rapidly thaw in the morning.
The freeze-thaw cycle weakens the pipes, causing them to crack and eventually burst. Once the pipes have expanded and contracted a sufficient number of times, they will start to leak, which can turn deadly if gas is running through them.
The best way to diminish the effect of a cold winter is to insulate all the pipes crisscrossing your home. This way, they will be spared the devastating effect of the freeze-thaw cycle. Furthermore, disassemble all water features (a fountain or a water tap) you have outside before the onset of winter.
Properly handling a bathroom leak
Apart from a burst pipe on the outside, you will have to combat leaks inside the house. In most cases, the leak is going to appear inside the bathroom, as the shower drain or the pipe underneath the washbasin starts to seep.
As mentioned before, the leak is hard to notice at first and even after you discover it, you might deem it benign and not react. This is wrong, as a leak won’t go anywhere; quite the contrary, it will most definitely expand over time.
This makes professional plumbing in Canberra and other Australian cities paramount for homeowners. By calling a plumber immediately, you are preventing major damage from occurring. A residential flood will cost you far more than a valve or a gasket the plumber advises you to replace.
If there is water damage, you need to consider hiring a local water damage restoration company to ensure any damage, is dealt with efficiently and effectively, to prevent any long-term damage to your home.
How to spot a gas leak
Equally dangerous as flooding is a gas leak. Unlike a leaky pipe, a gas leak will prove harder to detect, as it might not have over physical signs, such as a smell.
By the time you notice that your gas bill went up, it will be too late to react, so learn how to recognize secondary signs of a gas leak. These indirect signs of a gas leak include a hissing (or sometimes a whistling) sound near a gas pipe, a white, dusty cloud, bubbly water, etc.
Once you notice any of these signs, inspect the gas lines around the house to locate the damaged pipe. Another great way to pinpoint the leak is to look at plant life around it. When plants rapidly and unexplainably wither, that’s a clear sign they have been deprived of oxygen, i.e. killed by poisonous gasses.
If you are slow to reach, the same faith might await human residences as well!
The appearance of mold
Going back to water damage, a clear indicator that something is wrong is the appearance of mold and mildew. In some cases, this occurs because of a leaky pipe inside the walls or a hole in the roof (in this case the attic is going to have moldy walls).
However, a more frequent reason for the appearance of mold is poor air ventilation in places like the bathroom. Namely, after you have a shower or a bath, all that steam has nowhere to go, so hard surfaces in the bathroom can never fully dry.
This is the ideal setting for bacteria that later release spores which cause various respiratory diseases when inhaled. Children are especially prone to mold allergies, so you should do your best to air the bathroom often and install a solid ventilation system. If you are worried that you may have mold in other areas of your home, it may be wise to look at getting a home mold test kit to see if you are correct, you will then be able to target the areas that need extensive cleaning/removal.
What’s the condition of watertight seals?
Every home appliance that uses water to operate, from the washing machine to the refrigerator, features watertight seals on it.
In most cases, these seals are made from rubber, which deteriorates over time, developing cracks. Some of the factors that speed up the deterioration of rubber include high humidity, radiation, oxygen, and pollutant gases.
Faulty seals can cause the washing machine to leak while running or hot air can escape the oven. You need to be fully aware of the condition of all the appliance seals in the house and replace them if necessary. The first sign of a damaged seal is condensation around the appliance.
Tightening water connectors
Staying on the topic of appliances, the water connectors on them need to be tight. However, if you decide to mop the floor behind the washing machine, you might loosen the connector. This would cause a small leak, as the water pressure is relentless.
In Australia, for instance, the average water pressure is around 45 to 55 psi, which is enough to shear off a loosely attached connector. Luckily, this problem is easy to notice as a puddle forms behind the appliance. Also, most connectors have clams that laymen can tighten without much effort.
Paying more only to waste energy
Less conscious homeowners notice that they are dealing with a leak only when they receive higher utility bills. In this sense, the ACT might help people resolve a leak by charging them more every month.
In addition, a leak constitutes a major waste of resources, as all the water that runs out only soaks the earth, killing plants’ roots. Fixing a seemingly insignificant leak saves you money and protects the environment.
If you wish to make your home a safer place to live, then you must reach immediately after you notice a crack or a leak. The biggest residential floods and fires start as a minor that is ignored for years and even decades. We have listed 11 issues that minuscule leaks and cracks can cause, so you know where to search for them.
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