Water spreading and causing damage inside your walls where you can’t see it is a scary thought! Unfortunately, it happens all the time. In fact, it’s often the cost of the worst and most expensive water damage losses! This is because it’s hard to detect until it’s really bad, because it’s hidden inside the walls. But we’re here to help you know how to detect signs of water damage in walls early, so you can be prepared!
We’re Cleaner Guys, a water damage cleanup and restoration company with more than 20 years of experience. We want you to be prepared for the event of a water intrusion emergency, and be able to detect it and stop it early. Read on to learn how to do that!
Table of Contents
- What Is Water Damage, Anyway?
- Top 7 Signs of Water Damage In Walls
- Is Water Damage In Walls Dangerous?
- How to Stop Water Damage In Walls
- How to Prevent Water Damage In Walls Before it Happens
- How to Clean Up Water Damage In Walls
What Is Water Damage, Anyway?
Water damage is the harm that materials sustain when they’re exposed to excess water intrusion. Accidental spills from cups, bowls, or buckets do not usually “count” as water damage. A small amount of water like that is easy to mop up.
But large amounts of water, if not attended to quickly, can saturate porous materials like wood, drywall, insulation, textiles, and more. That saturation softens, weakens, and rots building materials the longer it soaks into them. It can also cause mold, and mold can make you sick! That’s why water can cause a lot of harm to buildings when a lot of it intrudes into walls, ceilings, and floors of all types.
The most common causes of water damage include:
- Plumbing leaks or bursts
- Roof leaks
- Refrigerator leaks
- Washing machine supply line leaks
- Dishwasher leaks
- Overflowed sink
- Overflowed toilet
- Flooding
- Sump pump issues
Water damage in walls specifically is most often caused by a burst or leaking pipe, because your plumbing runs through the inside of your walls. But when it’s inside the walls, how do you know if a pipe is leaking? You can’t see it!
Read on to learn how.
Top 7 Signs of Water Damage In Walls
How do you tell if there’s water intrusion inside your walls, specifically? We’ve been professionals at cleaning up water damage in walls for more than 20 years now, and these are the top 7 signs of water damage in walls that we see.
1: Dripping or gurgling sounds in the walls
This is almost certainly a sign that something is not right with the plumbing inside your walls. If you can hear dripping or gurgling sounds, it is probably because a pipe has cracked or burst, and water is getting out! You should call a plumber and a water damage restoration company right away to assess the damage!
You’ll need both, because a plumber can fix the pipe, but he won’t fix the wall he had to break through to get to the pipe! He also won’t dry out the soaking-wet wall interior. That’s what a water damage restoration company does.
2: Turning on a faucet and little or no water coming out
A sudden lack of water pressure from a faucet almost always means there’s something wrong in the pipe connected to the faucet. The most common issues are a clog in the pipe, or a crack in the pipe that is releasing pressure and water out of the pipe. Check inside the cabinet under your sink first to see if the leak is there, and if it isn’t visible, it’s probably inside the wall.
You should call a plumber right away if this happens, as well as a water damage restoration company! Together, they will fix the leak or clog in your plumbing, and any water damage caused by the leak.
3: Brown or gray stain marks on the wall
Puddle-shaped staining on the wall that looks grayish or coffee-colored is almost certainly water staining from water inside the wall. This, too, requires a professional water damage restoration company to assess and fix. If the water has soaked all the way through the drywall so much that you can see it on the visible side, the water intrusion is likely already bad. You need to call a plumber and a water damage restoration company right away.
4: Squishy or soft areas on the drywall
Drywall that is soft, wet, or squishy to the touch is saturated with water. You must call a professional water damage restoration company to fix it! Successfully drying out completely water-saturated drywall is nearly impossible for anyone but the professionals to do.
5: Peeling, bubbling, or cracking paint on the wall
If the paint on your wall is bubbling or peeling away from the drywall, it’s probably because it’s saturated with water. This also requires a call to a qualified water damage restoration company!
Just like with water-stained or soft drywall, peeling and cracking is a sign that the water has soaked all the way through the drywall. You should not attempt to dry out fully-saturated drywall on your own.
6: A musty or “earthy” odor near a certain wall
If you smell pungent odors that could be described as “musty”, “damp”, “moist”, “earthy”, or “moldy”, this is a sign of water intrusion, and likely also mold. If you smell this kind of musty odor, don’t dismiss it or ignore it; contact a water damage restoration professional right away. They can use thermal imaging to see if there is water intrusion or mold in your home.
If you choose to just ignore these smells, or any of the other signs on this list, you’re signing yourself up for a MUCH more costly repair job in the future!
7: Visible mold growth
If you can see mold growth, it is an almost guaranteed sign that you have water intrusion somewhere. Mold does not grow without excess moisture. Mold looks like clusters or patches of fuzzy or slimy spots, which can be grey, green, black, brown, yellow, or white. If you see mold, the best course of action is to find a mold removal company that also specializes in water damage mitigation.
It’s important to note: not all water damage restoration companies are also equipped to deal with mold! Do your best to find a company that does both.
If you’re in Washington State, then your best bet is Cleaner Guys! We are licensed to handle both mold and water intrusion, and we’re award-winning for our work!
Is Water Damage In Walls Dangerous?
Yes, unfortunately, water damage in walls IS dangerous. It will eventually weaken the very structure of your home, making it unstable and potentially unsafe! Even worse, water intrusion usually leads to mold, and mold can make you very sick! Mold can grow from water damage in less than 48 hours, and its spores can cause mold sickness, allergic reactions, and irritation of the eyes, skin, and lungs.
As an experienced professional water damage cleanup company, we’ve dealt with a lot of big, extensive, and expensive water intrusion and flooding situations. Those big, expensive situations are very often caused by people ignoring the early warning signs of water intrusion we’ve listed here.
People usually ignore these signs because they don’t want to deal with it or they don’t want to pay to have it fixed. We understand! No one wants to shell out money unnecessarily. But water damage is a situation where dealing with it right away is VERY necessary. The problem will only get worse — and cost you more money — the longer it is left alone!
How to Stop Water Damage In Walls
If you are dealing with water damage in walls at this moment, then the first thing to immediately do is shut off the water to the house. If you don’t know where the water shutoff valve is in your house, then check out this handy guide to finding your water shutoff valve.
After you’ve shut off the water to the house, open all the faucets, particularly near the area where you know there is water intrusion. This will relieve pressure from the plumbing, slowing the amount of water gushing out of the broken pipe.
How to Prevent Water Damage In Walls Before it Happens
The best way to prevent water damage in your home is to be vigilant! Check common sources of water damage regularly, at least once every couple of months. This way, you’re much more likely to catch water intrusion very early, before it has damaged anything too severely.
Another big way to prevent water damage is to winterize your home every winter. Pipes freezing and bursting is by far one of the most common sources of the water damage we clean up here at Cleaner Guys. You can do several different things to help make sure you don’t have a catastrophic pipe burst! These include insulating your pipes, keeping the heat on, and many more hot tips! Read about our top 8 recommended steps to prevent frozen pipes next.
How to Clean Up Water Damage In Walls
In most cases, unfortunately, water damage inside walls is not something you can fix yourself. This is because the equipment and methods needed to dry the area out thoroughly are the kinds of equipment only professionals have.
If you attempt to dry out the area yourself to save money, you will almost certainly end up spending more money later, because you won’t be able to successfully dry the damaged area 100%. The residual dampness left behind by insufficient DIY drying and repair will grow mold and spread over time.
Unsure how to choose a good water damage restoration company? Check out our handy guide for the inside scoop on how to choose a trustworthy service company.
If you need a water damage restoration company in Western Washington State, consider Cleaner Guys as a high-quality, well-trusted option! We’re proud to boast award-winning customer service, lower prices than others, and top-notch workmanship. Contact us today through the menu at the top of your screen, or call us now at (360)757-4300!
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. No part of this article is medical or legal advice, and may not be used as such. For all serious medical matters, consult your doctor. For all serious legal matters, consult your legal advisor. This article contains Cleaner Guys’ experience and opinions only.
