Tag Archive for water damage

Kate Miller | September 3, 2012
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Water in the Ducts: Symptoms

Many homes that were built in areas that are prone to flooding were built on a concrete slab rather than a foundation that included a basement. Sure this helps prevent flooding of the home, but water may still be able to get where it does not belong. The problem is that the duct work for the HVAC system was placed within the concrete slab. Not only does this make the ducts difficult to access, but it also makes them prone to water exposure. If your ducts are in your home’s concrete slab, it may be time to have your system inspected.

Symptoms of Water in Your Ducts:

  • No Air Flow: When water fills a section of duct work completely air flow is not possible. Many homes will have one or two rooms that don’t get air flow during heavy rain storms.
  • Gurgling Noises: Even if there are only a few inches of water in your ducts, you may still have obvious symptoms of the problem. Listen to your ducts. Can you hear a gurgling noise? If so, you are hearing the sound of the air passing over the water that is stuck in your ducts. Read more
Category: Air Conditioning, Cooling, Furnace, Heating, Helpful Tips | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Kate Miller | August 29, 2012
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Shutting Off Your Shutoff Valves: Part 1

The plumbing fixtures in our homes undergo much use and abuse. Over time this use manifests itself as a leak or a crack and before you know it, water is everywhere but where it is supposed to be! Water damage is the costly result, but if you know a little bit about your plumbing system, you may be able to prevent extensive damage.

Shutoff Valves for Individual Fixtures

Many homeowners know how to shut off the water supply to the home at the main line or the meter, but did you know that you could shut off the water supply to individual fixtures as well? Many plumbing problems are localized to one bathroom or one fixture, and luckily, most plumbing fixtures have an individual shutoff valve! You need to learn which fixtures have shutoff valves, where the shutoff valves are located, and how to shut them off properly. These skills come in handy when performing plumbing repairs or when trying to prevent water damage while waiting for a plumber to arrive. Read more

Category: Home Repairs, Home Services, Plumbing | Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Kate Miller | July 9, 2012
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Put Drip Pan Problems in their Place!

Ever notice how the humidity lingers in Chicago even after the heat of the day has cooled off? It can be a comfortable 75 degrees and yet the air will still feel sticky and uncomfortable. The air conditioner is an amazing devise. Not only does it remove the excess heat from the air but it also removes moisture. By removing the humidity from the home the air conditioner is able to deliver true home comfort, but where does all that moisture go?

Your air conditioner’s drip pan is the collection device that directs the water pulled out of the air away from your system and into a drain. This part helps prevent water damage from destroying the inside of your air conditioning system, but what happens when there is a problem with the drip pan? The damage done could be costly, but it can be prevented. Read more

Category: Air Conditioning | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Kate Miller | May 11, 2012
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Why is Caulk so Important?

Caulk plays its most vital role in the shower and tub, but caulk is something that is used in many applications all over the home. If you haven’t taken the time to consider what shape your caulk is in, you may want to take a look, especially in the tub. Cracked, broken, or moldy caulk looks disgusting, but if your caulk is allowing water to seep into places it shouldn’t be, you may have a much bigger problem on your hands.  Missing caulk can cause serious damage if ignored, and spring is the best time of year to spend some time with a fresh tube of caulk.

Tub and Shower Caulking

Mold growth isn’t good anywhere in the home, so it is best to nip the problem in the butt as soon as it is spotted. Caulk in moisture exposed areas like the tub and shower is a prime target for mold. Take the time to remove any moldy caulk and replace it with fresh clean lines. If your caulk is cracked and missing in places, you need to replace your caulk immediately. Moldy caulk is one thing, but a moldy sub-floor and walls behind tiles is another. When caulk isn’t there to keep water from getting into areas beneath the tub, water damage results and mold growth ensues. If you allow your caulk problem to go this far you could be looking at a much heftier repair that required professional help. Handle the job while you still can do it yourself and protect your home from the unnecessary problem. Read more

Category: Home Improvements, Home Repairs, Home Services, Money Saving, Plumbing | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Kate Miller | March 7, 2012
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Protect Your Home from a Turbulent Spring

The intense weather that has hit the middle of our country reminds us all of the power that nature has during the spring months. One moment you are enjoying a gentle breeze and the sunshine on your face and then the next moment the sky is black as night and pouring down buckets of water. These fast intense storms can make it very hard for your home to stay dry inside. Without adequate protection, you could see your valuables destroyed and any system that may be in the basement, like the furnace, hot water tank, washer and dryer, could be damaged as well. There are two rather affordable ways to boost protection this spring:

  • Clean and Repairing Gutters: The gutters on your roof are the first line of defense against flooding. If they are packed with leaves or if they have insufficient downspouts, you could be saturating the ground around your home with every rainfall. Have your gutters cleaned and inspected for problems or weaknesses. A few nails and a few hours spent getting the gutters empties could be all that is needed to protect your home. Read more
Category: Home Repairs, Home Services, Money Saving, Plumbing, Safety | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Kate Miller | February 20, 2012
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Has Time been Cruel to Your Basement?

When you decide to make improvements to your home, odds are you are doing so for one of a few different reasons. Some people want to fix up the home in order to make it more attractive to buyers. Others want to make home improvements to make the home more functional, and still others make the improvements because of the damaging effects that certain problems can have on the condition of the space. The basement is a major target area for many homeowners. It has been estimated that up to 60% of homes in the United States experience water in the basement of their home. Water is destructive and could even harm your health if mold takes advantage of the plentiful water source in your basement.

Developing Problems Over the Years

Many homes develop water problems in their basements over the years. Originally the home may not have had any issues in this area, but time is cruel to the foundation of your home. What may be a small crack that doesn’t extend through the foundation can develop into a significant leak if given time. Rain water gets into these cracks and washes away layer after layer of concrete until suddenly water is seeping into the home. For other homes, simply being built in a low lying part of town is enough to give them 2 feet of water in their basement. Luckily, you can divert this water with the proper tools. Read more

Category: Home Improvements, Home Services, Plumbing | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Kate Miller | December 28, 2011
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Don’t Turn Off the Furnace!

As you head out the door this holiday season to visit family and friends for an extended period of time, there is one crucial mistake that you must not make. Do not turn off the furnace. Many homeowners are looking for any way to save money, and you may assume that since no one will be home to need the comfort of the furnace, it won’t matter if it is shut down for a few days. However, you would be wrong! Leaving the furnace off during winter puts your home at serious risk for water damage, but it can be prevented!

How Your Pipes Will Freeze

When the furnace is turned off completely, the home has no protection against the elements. All you need is one extra chilly night to surround your home and suddenly you will have frozen pipes around the house. Within hours the temperature will begin to warm as the sun rises and those pipes will begin to thaw. The ice will have expanded the pipe and could have caused cracks that compromised the integrity of the pipe. As it thaws, water will begin to force its way through and the pressure may cause the pipe to burst! Read more

Category: Boiler, Furnace, Heating, Home Services, Insulation, Money Saving, Plumbing, Safety | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Raymond S- HVAC Specialist | August 31, 2011
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What is that Gurgling Noise?

Every now and then we get a service call from a customer stating that the furnace is gurgling. Strange but true, furnaces do make gurgling noises. When the condensation drain becomes partially or even completely blocked, a gurgling noise can sometimes be heard. Where is the water coming from that drains through this line? All furnaces rated above 90% AFUE produce condensation during the heat cycle. It is a natural by product of cooling combustion fumes. The other sources of water are the whole house humidifier as well as the air conditioner. Large amounts of condensation may be produced by the air conditioner, especially on very hot days.

Damage Caused by Condensation Leaks

Combustion condensation, air conditioner condensation and humidifier run off all drain into a condensate pump or a floor drain. These lines can become slow or blocked if the drain line is not cleaned periodically. The gurgling noise is a nuisance but a condensation leak because of a slow or blocked drain can be expensive. Water damage from a small condensation drain leak has ruined more than one hardwood floor in the past. Problems like this generally go unnoticed until it’s too late. After a floor starts to buckle or carpet starts to smell hundreds of dollars of damage has all ready been done. Let’s not forget if this condensation leaks or backs up into your furnace it can cause a catastrophic failure of the control board, motor, gas valve or any of the other electrical components it comes in contact with. Read more

Category: Air Conditioning, Furnace, Helpful Tips | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Kate Miller | April 4, 2011
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Water Logged Insulation

Floods, leaking roofs, and frozen pipes all can cause varying degrees of water damage in a home. The clean up process is often tedious and time consuming, but of the items that need to be replaced due to water exposure, insulation should be near the top of your list. Crawl spaces, attics, walls, and duct work are common places that insulation can become water damaged, and although it may be tempting to ignore this issue, the consequences of failing to remove wet insulation material can be detrimental to your homes safety and comfort level.

Normal Functions of Insulation

For those that do not know, the insulation in your home works as a heat barrier. When it is located in the attic, the walls, the floors, and the crawl space, it is working to keep the heat in the home during the winter and keeping the heat out during the summer. When insulation is located surrounding your duct work, it acts as a heat barrier to protect the conditioned air from temperature loss before it reached the various rooms in the house. Your insulation’s ability to do this is rated on an efficiency scale called its R-value and the higher the R-value the better. However, water interferes with your insulation’s ability to carry out this purpose in two ways. Read more

Category: Home Repairs, Home Services, Insulation | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Kate Miller | March 3, 2011
2 comments

Winter Weather Advisory: Flooding is Expected!

As if the blizzard wasn’t enough, the end of this winter season brings the potential for major flooding issues across the Midwest. All of the snow has melted and the rain storms are coming. The ground is so over-saturated that there really isn’t anywhere else for the water to go, but into your basement. Now is the time to prepare your home for potential flooding, and though there may not be much you can do, any efforts will help minimize the water damage that could be caused by flood waters.

Flood Protection:

  • Check the Sump-Pump: If your home already has a sump pump, now is the time to make sure that it is working properly. A quick test of the system will alert you to any problems in time to have them repaired. If your sump pump doesn’t move enough water away from the home fast enough, consider upgrading. Nowadays there are systems that can remove water with industrial grade power, and upgrading could be what saves your home from damage. Read more
Category: Air Conditioning, Consumer Protection, Heating, Home Services | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
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