Water damage prevention in the bathroom

June 17, 2009

The place in your house where water damage is most likely to occur, is definitely the bathroom, with the kitchen as a good second. Bearing in mind that the internet is totally international, the word “bathroom” needs a clear explanation. What all around the world is called wc or toilet, is called bathroom in the US of A. In Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia a bathroom is nothing else than presisely what it says: the room where one has ones bath. It’s good to bear that in mind, not only when reading this blog post, but also when travelling to the US from elsewhere, or to elsewhere from the US! Many hilarious misunderstandings have already resulted from this tiny difference in idioms, and quite a lot more will occur in future!

Preventing the ruinous effects of water damage is much better and cheaper than repairing it, and it takes very little effort that might save you a lot of expenses. You need to start with a simple check for hidden leaks: turn off all the faucets (English) or taps (American) in your house, and all household appliances that work with water like coffee machines, dishwashers, washing machines and such. Nothing in your house should, for the time being use any water at all. Check your water meter and write down what it says. Leave things alone for about an hour, and then take a look at the water meter again. A different reading almost certainly indicates the presence of a water leak, unless of course you’ve forgotten to turn off really everything.

Give your bathroom AKA (wc|toilet} a good inspection then. Soft, slightly damp or outright wet floor spots near the edge of the bathtub, the shower stall or the toilet bowl, often accompanied by some discoloration, are sure signs of water damage that requires your immediate attention. Fortunately that’s very easy: re-caulking the area where the walls meet the floor or the appliance, usually helps solve the problem. If, like in most homes, you have tiles in your bathroom, cracks in grout or areas where it is missing can also cause a lot of damage.

The overflow of toilet bowls is an well-known cause of water damage, even if it does not happen that often. Putting too much toilet paper or other objects down the toilet bowl can cause it to back up with a vengeance. Even the kind of deodorant that hangs inside the toilet bowl can cause blockages in the plumbing, and if that deodorant happens to be chlorine-based and the pipes are of the ancient metal kind, it can even cause the pipes to oxydize and produce an additional leak. You must definitely be aware that your toilet bowl is not intended to be a household waste receptacle, and never try to flush anything down that simply should have been thrown out into the rubbish bin.

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