What Was the Cause of this Water Loss?

What Was the Cause of this Water Loss?

It doesn’t take much time to generate a good size water loss. At STOP Restoration Mesa we have heard many stories.  Homeowners just left to go to the store, went out to dinner with friends, spent the afternoon going to the lake, took the family to the movies, or just took a nap. No matter the reason one was gone, it does not take long for water to do its damage to your place called home!

What is the cause?

Many times as one walks into the home, they might hear that distinct noise of water running or see water pooling up on the floor. The first thing the homeowner should do is turn off the water at the house’s main shutoff value.  Once that is done, walk the house to see how much water damage there is and try to locate the problem. If there is standing water that has spread to a number of rooms in the house then it is likely a plumbing supply line that is in or around the flooded area. The leak could be behind the walls, but first check this list of visible common places of water leaks:

• Kitchen
  • Under the Kitchen sink
  • Dishwasher supply or runoff line
  • Refrigerator water line
• Bathroom
  • Under the Bathroom sink
  • Shower/Bath drain
  • Toilet supply line
• Laundry Room
  • Washer supply line
  • Washer runoff line
• Utility Room / Garage / Attic
  • Water Heater valve
  • Water Heater supply line
  • Split or ruptured tank
  • Air Conditioning Pan
  • Water Softener System

Your insurance company will want to know the cause of the water loss. Tell the technician from STOP Restoration Mesa the location so we can take pictures of the leak. If you are unaware of the location then we will become detectives to determine the cause of the water loss. After the leak has been documented have a certified plumber fix the problem that way once the water is turned back on the water damage to the house will not continue to grow and become a greater water remediation problem.

A Recent Example

STOP Restoration Mesa had a case a few weeks back where the homeowners left their home for about an hour. On returning, they noticed water coming out of the garage as the garage door was raised. On entering the door to the kitchen from the garage they stepped into an inch of water that covered the whole kitchen, a side room leading to the backyard, and just a couple of feet into the living room.  The bathroom was on the far side of the house in an unaffected area. They quickly turned off the water at the main shutoff valve and called us. As we examined the home, we additional found water covering the floor in the utility room off the garage. Since the homeowners were the first ones on the scene, we asked where they thought the problem was. They said it was probably the dishwasher, because it was over 15 years old and was also in the pool of water. Therefore the technicians pulled the dishwasher out from under the counter and after a quick inspection the dishwasher turned out not to be the cause of the leak.

So now the detective work began. Quickly, we had 4 potential visible sources and a number of invisible sources namely the water pipes within the walls. In the kitchen there was the sink, and the water supply line to the refrigerator. They all turned out to be not the cause of the leak. Next was the utility room where the water heater and a soft water system are located.  We determined that the cause was the water heater. The seal around the cold water line going into the water tank had corroded away and was bubbling out. Source found, now it was time to return this family home back to normal.

Insurance companies absolutely want the restoration company to find the problem so it can be documented and we can get the home back to its preexisting condition!

STOP Restoration Mesa has seen water damage and other disasters that happen when families are away from the home. However should disaster strike your house or business, remember to call STOP at 480-818-1440 and count on us to provide quality disaster cleaning and repairs! We offer 24/7 emergency service for water, smoke, fire, wind, bio-hazard, vandalism, and other damage repair services. We service Mesa, Gilbert, Chandler (AZ) and other surrounding cities in the East Valley.