The top 3 reasons for home water damage

It’s enough to send shivers down your spine and have you reaching for your phone to Google “how to get water out of your house fast”, quickly followed up by “how to dry wet carpet”! Not to mention pulling out the trusty credit card to pay someone to clean up all this mess. When home water damage happens, you can get quite a shock. Not to mention feel completely embarrassed. It is the plotline of TV sitcoms and viral YouTube videos, after all.

However, as they say, forewarned is forearmed. Knowing what the top reasons are for home water damage occurring can help you prevent this issue from dampening your spirits. So, without any further ado, let’s dive into…

The top three home water damage causes (and what you can do if they happen to you)

1. At the top of the list we have washing machine water leaks. This is the most prevalent cause of home water damage because a lot can go wrong with your washing machine. From clogged pipes and drains to failed water pumps to split or loose hoses, the reasons for washing machine leaks vary. And the amount of dirty, sudsy water a malfunctioning washing machine can spread right throughout your home is staggering.
2. Yes, it’s not just the stuff of fiction. Bath overflows happen every day. So, you can rest assured whilst you may feel very foolish if this does happen to you, you are not alone. An unattended bath left to fill and completely overflow can soak an entire floor in your house in minutes and lead to significant home water damage.
3. Parts of the country, like Melbourne in particular, are susceptible to localised flash flooding. When a huge storm hits and vast volumes of water bucket down in a short period of time, your home’s drainage system and gutters can struggle to keep up and water can gush inside, leading to smelly, wet carpet and lots of home water damage throughout your property. Unless you do something about it, of course.

What to do when home water damage strikes

The first thing to do is move all the furniture and household items out of the affected area. The next thing is to remove any standing water as this is a big problem. Water that is allowed to pool inside your home will cause structural damage soaking up into your walls and damaging your subflooring. It can also spawn harmful bacteria. Floodwater can contain disease-causing microbes, so it’s important to get it out of your home as quickly and safely as possible.

And once you’ve got the water out of your home, it’s time to get onto repairing the issue of home water damage. At a minimum, you will need to know how to dry wet carpet. You can read about the process we recommend (and use ourselves) here. And if you want to let the professionals take care of your home water damage, we’re only a phone call away. So, now you know what can go wrong. And, if it happens to you, it’s time to take care of your home water damage asap! and dry out what you can.