If you live somewhere that experiences heavy rain or flooding, you are probably familiar with experiencing water damage in the home.
Water damage causes deterioration of your home or office infrastructure or produces dangerous mold growth that can affect your health. The good news is, there are companies out there to help address water damage in your property before it negatively impacts your life. These companies are trained to spot damage and to offer corrections, as well as preventative measures. Read more to find out about the causes of water damage and how to protect yourself and your home from its negative impact. 
What is Water Damage?
Water damage can result from a leaking pipe or from natural phenomena. At first, water damage can be slow and hard to notice, especially if it is coming from within your property’s own water pipe system. If this is the case, it occurs when the foundational materials of your property are corroded by a water leakage, damaging the wood. This damage causes rot, causing mold to grow. As a result, the metal in your pipes begins to rust, and it often leads to more extensive water damage, or infrastructural collapse.
You will know if you have water damage by watching out for the signs. Most obviously, if you see pooling water or flooding in your property then you are experiencing the effects of water damage. Slightly less noticeable signs might include dark spots on the ceiling, walls, or floors, or if you have a random spike in your utility or water bill. If water is leaking through a pipe that is damaged, you will inevitably be paying more for your property’s water service.
Additional signs to look for include the paint or drywall on your walls, or ceiling bubbling, flaking or cracking for no apparent reason. If you hear water running when you have all your faucets turned off, you should be concerned. Most importantly, if you see signs of mold growth in your property or notice musty or damp smells and sensations, it could indicate extensive, health-threatening water damage has occurred in your property.
What Causes Water Damage?
Water damage in your property can be caused by a number of occurrences. Your water system’s pipes may be broken and leaking, the hose to a dishwasher may be loose, your septic system could be compromised, or your roof, windows, flooring, or external wall structure may be compromised.
Other causes of water damage could include an overflowing toilet, sink, or bathtub, or a leaking toilet. Natural phenomena such as heavy storms could cause flooding or rising groundwater could be impacting your property.
It is important to repair water damage quickly because extensive or long-term water damage can cause mold growth in your walls, ceilings, or flooring. Mold can cause allergies and sinus or lung infections, especially in young and immunocompromised people. Toxic mold inhalation can be lethal or cause long-term negative health impacts such as neurological disease for those exposed to the mycotoxins present in toxic mold cell walls.
How to Prevent Water Damage
There are many ways to prevent water damage. At the first signs of potential damage, find your water main and shut it off, as it is the source that supplies all the water to the rest of your property. Shutting this down allows you to do a thorough inspection of your pipe system and make repairs before more extensive damage is done. For extra precaution, install moisture detection devices in your property, which detect and alert you to any increase of moisture in their environment.
Most often, water damage is caused by a malfunctioning or broken appliance, such as your washing machine. Make sure to keep these working properly and check them often to prevent water damage. Another way to prevent water damage is to make sure there has not been a strange increase in your water bill. Keep your water pressure set to a moderate level to prevent pipes from cracking under a high-water pressure setting that they cannot handle.
If you notice any signs of leaking or have an accident with an overflowing tub, make sure to address those issues promptly to prevent damage. Make sure to clean your water gutters on the exterior of your property so they can drain water from your roof and prevent pooling. If you experience cold winters, make sure to disconnect any hoses from their spigots in the fall because freezing can occur and cause your pipes to burst.
Cost to Repair Water Damage
When looking at the cost of water damage, it is important to know that there are different types of water quality which cause damage affecting the price of repair. There is water damage caused by clean water, which is the cheapest to repair costing about $4 per square foot. This is water from your source water supply line or sink overflow.
The second category of water damage is caused by “gray water.” This water contains microorganisms such as water that contains urine or that has leaked or drained from a dishwasher. This type of water damage costs about $5 per square foot to repair. The third category of water damage is called “black water.” Black water is water containing fecal matter, or flooding from any natural water source such as rivers, sea water, lakes, and standing water. Black water can also be gray water that has been standing for some time. This type of damage repair costs about $8 dollars per square foot.
Companies that Repair Water Damage
If you have experienced water damage to your property, the good news is there are restoration companies here to provide repair services to you today. Here is a list of some restoration companies that can help you handle your water damage concerns.