Top Ways to Prevent Leaks from the Bathroom

There are a few different ways that a leak can occur in your bathroom. Although the problem starts here, it can lead to more problems and damage for the rest of your home. Make sure to locate any potential water damage and do everything necessary to prevent it in your bathroom. A leak in an upstairs bathroom can be especially damaging as it will have a damaging effect on the basement of your home. Stop the potential leaks in your home starting with the bathroom. Getting these taken care of will prevent deep problems from occurring within your home.

The Plumbing

Throughout the entire home, the plumbing is one of the most common places that problems can arise. Rather than allowing this to happen in your home, learn to recognize the signs. Some of the biggest causes of burst pipes come from problems with the pressure, or frozen pipes in the winter.

Watch for signs of water leaks such as water spots on the ceiling under your bathroom, increased water bills that are out of the ordinary, banging pipes whenever the water is turned off, and more. If any of these signs are present, look deeper into the bathroom plumbing to determine where exactly the problem is located.

Toilet

There is no escaping toilet problems in the home. With a new home, it is likely that sudden toilet failure will occur through a faulty supply line while older homes are more likely to fall victim to a slowly developed leak, along with issues of clogging. Both of these have the potential to do great damage.

The first thing that must be done is to caulk all around the toilet. This way even if an overflow does occur, the water will not be able to trickle down into the floor. If your toilet does clog, open the tank and lift the flapper to prevent more water from coming in, overflowing the bowl. When possible replace the supply line gate valves with ball valves, which can reduce the risk of overflowing.

Bathtub and Shower

Leaving this water running by mistake can have negative consequences in your home. Even if you have caulking around the bathtub and shower, an intense water leak can cause damage to the grout, causing more problems than you can deal with.

Start out by inspecting these areas of your home on a regular basis for any holes in the caulking or signs of potential damage. Look also for stains or soft places on walls, floors, and ceilings near the bathroom to determine whether or not a leak is occurring.

If you do find a leak or major problem within your bathroom, don’t hesitate to call for help. The sooner the problem is addressed, the faster it will be solved, making it easier to prevent further damage from happening.