Finding a wet spot on your wall can be shocking and might cause you to feel a little panicked. A water leak in your home, and especially in your wall, is not something you want to see. Before you get too stressed out, it’s possible you can fix the damage without shelling out tons of money. The most important thing to note is that you should deal with the leak as soon as it’s found, this can help reduce the amount of damage that’s created. Once you’ve found the leak what can you do to handle it and what are some ways that you can prevent it from happening? We’ll answer those questions for you in this blog!
How to Deal With a Water Leak Inside Your Wall
The first step is to identify the leak, there are several causes for a leak to begin in your wall. It may be due to a small puncture in your pipe or a failure in caulking. These small failures will allow water to leak through to your wall or baseboards. Water will travel towards the ground so you will likely find an entire section of your wall is wet. If you’re not able to visibly detect the leak you can purchase a moisture meter, this will help locate the leak.
Once you’ve found the location you’ll want to determine what specifically has caused the leak. It may be caused by interior plumbing, exterior above grade issues, or exterior below grade issues.
- Interior plumbing: This can be checked by turning off all faucets in your home and checking the water meter, if after a couple hours the meter has increased that means water is leaking. Note that this doesn’t work great if your toilet is constantly running.
- Exterior above grade issues: Check flashing penetrations on outdoor items such as vents, windows, and doors. You can also check for clogged downspouts for gutters.
- Exterior below grade issues: this leak will be from the lower level and is likely caused by a break in sprinkler systems or poor drainage of downspouts.
Regardless of the cause once you’ve found the leak you’ll want to begin taking steps to repair the leak. For indoor plumbing issues it’s best to call a plumbing professional. These are more difficult to repair and it’s best to let a professional handle it so that you don’t accidentally cause more damage. For exterior related issues you should be able to remedy this on your own. For exterior above grade you should clean all clogged gutters and downspouts. You may also need to clear and replace caulking at the problem area. For exterior below grade you should check sprinkler systems and call a sprinkler system company for help, adjust downspouts to run off away from your home, and waterproof your basement.
Prevention
- The best way to prevent leaks from occurring is to have your plumbing routinely checked. Routine check ups will help to ensure that there are no issues with your system that need repairing.
- Inspect outdoor plumbing, caulking, sprinkler systems, etc. this will help prevent a problem from arising. You should be doing regular check ups of these systems.
- Maintain a constant pressure (around 40-60 PSI)
- Check your sump pump regularly and have routine maintenance done
- Take care of your plumbing during weather changes (insulate pipes in the winter)
Nobody wants to find a leak in their wall from a plumbing issue. Hopefully these tips and tricks will help you understand what to do if you experience a leak. Norfolk Plumbing is here for you and all of your plumbing needs. If you’d prefer the help of a professional don’t hesitate to call us. We offer 24/7 emergency service and we’re always here when you need us. To contact us (757) 466-0644.