Solutions For Water Seepage
Water seepage is an environmental annoyance. It affect the inhabitants of the house by smelling bad and facilitating the growth of disease causing organisms. It ruins the way walls look and reduces re-sale value of homes.
Black molds cause asthmatic attacks because they form spores. They can lead to invasive fungal infection in immunocompromized hosts and can even cause cancer and CNS problems as they release toxic compounds. Why should you know this? Because black molds along with some disease causing bacteria grow on wet walls.
Besides leaking drain or water supply pipes, the triggers of wall seepage are manifold. Among these are bathtubs with broken seals, floorboards with worn waterproofing and leaky roofs.
There are temporary solutions to water seepage like painting the wall or putting new wallpaper. But it is very important to actually detect the cause of leakage and fix it before actually attempting to make the wall look better on the outside.
Spotting the cause of seepage is easier said than done. While it is obvious when the bathtub’s leaking, you wouldn’t notice fine cracks and pores in the wall as easily. Yards sloping towards the house compound the problem of bad walls as they bring water in. Also bad waterproofing or the lack of it altogether can be the culprit. Needless to say, leaking pipes are a huge cause too. So when you spot a wet wall, trace the watermarks.
Leaks in pipes can be covered with plumbers’ putty. Occasionally you might have to get a whole new pipe. A plumber should fix pipe leaks when the pipe is inside the wall and you need to break a bit of the wall. You could damage other pipes trying to do it yourself. You can rest assured it’s a pipe leak if the wetness is not near the roof or wall. Also if the area is smelly, it has got to be a drainpipe.
Waterproofing of any wall is important. Wood for instance will just rot due to seepage and will need replacement and concrete is prone to cracking when temperature variances through the year are significant. Concrete is also propos by nature and will allow water in.
Cracks in concrete walls can be mended. Use hydraulic cement for huge ones and filler made of epoxy or polyurethane for small cracks. A tar layer should be put on concrete walls followed by 2-3 coatings of concrete paint to waterproof them.
Scott Rodgers is a great expert who has been writing on plumbing for a long time now. His skill has given inspiration to a host of workers, ranging from New York Plumbers (Need one? click here!) to Los Angeles Plumbers (Need one? click here!).