Just as there is no one type of leak, there is no one benefit to having an accredited professional assess your house for threats of leaking as well as fix leaks that are already fully fledged. Along with simply fixing or preventing water leaks, a survey of your home for leaks can reduce insurance premiums and increase your home’s value. It is especially relevant to have a professional conduct leak detection in Los Angeles, due to the area’s weather, geology, and geography: there are several factors that may make a leak detection in Los Angeles altogether necessary. As a responsible homeowner, it’s imperative to know the signs of a leak whenever they are present—and this does not just mean when water finally falls smack onto your forehead as you’re about to turn in for the night. A leak, though destructive to your property, is not always apparent. A leak may spring in your walls, floorboards, basement, or foundations. Water may be infiltrating the plaster and lathe, dry-wall, or brick and mortar of your walls, and it may not manifest until that fateful forehead drip mentioned above.
Use the expertise that’s available to you
Making the most of an expert in leak detection is easy, especially if you are quick to identify the possible location and extent of the leak. The most obvious sign that you have runaway water on your hands is standing pools of water at base-points in the structure: this means checking your basement, though uncommon in California, or ground-floor for puddles. This, however, means that water has already worked its way down from higher up. Therefore, an early-stage indicator of potential leaking, especially in pipes, can be found in the ceilings of lower levels and the floors of upper levels. With painted ceilings, water will cause paint to bulge outwards. In the case of non-wood surfaces, the water and saline therein will oxidize drywall screws or staples and affect a brownish-red discoloration on the surface. In cases of long-term, slow leaks, paint will go so far as to peel away from its surface.
When it comes to wood surfaces, such as floors, ceilings, and wall-panels, constant or chronic exposure to water will have diverse effects. A persistent leak will cause hardwood floors to warp—that is, to expand and contract—such that gaps will form between boards. What’s more, the dampness in the wood may cause it to rot and develop a spongy texture. A leak will not just become obvious to the sense of sight, however; if mold or mildew has formed due to moisture and warm temperatures, you will certainly smell it (an old, stale, unwashed clothes sort of smell). Lastly, if your water-supply is welled and your well’s pipe or casing has been corroded, you may have saline- and mineral-rich groundwater leach into your drinking water, changing its taste. Any of the above signs are cause for carrying out leak detection in Los Angeles.
Ready to get started?
If you want to be on top of your leaks, consider having an expert in leak detection in Los Angeles and area conduct a survey of your home at the end of winter, after frost heaving and thermal expansion may have caused weakened pipes to burst.