What Are The Most Common Causes Of Water Damage? Well, Here's What We See Here At SERVPRO

11/24/2020 (Permalink)

SERVPRO was recently called out to a Waukesha School District building for a water loss. Our certified technicians made sure the building was safe!

When a person thinks about water damage, they often think of severe weather conditions.  However, there are many other items in your home or business that may be a cause of water damage.  Water damage is something that many homeowners will face. 

There is a significant difference between water damage and gradual water damage, which has an impact on homeowner’s insurance claims. Examples of gradual damage are circumstances that have been happening over time, like plumbing issues in the walls causing damage to the walls, ceilings or floors, or water damage caused by cracks in the foundation.  Unfortunately, many gradual water damage issues are not covered by homeowners insurance, while storm-related water damage usually is.

According to the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), the leading causes of water damage are:

• Plumbing supply system failures. This involves frozen pipes that can burst because the water pressure builds up due to freezing water in the pipes or when the supply system materials fail, causing pipes to leak or burst. They also found that homes with ages of 16 to 40 years made up a larger portion of supply system material failure claims.
• Plumbing drain system failures. This can occur when a sewer drain backs up and overflows into a home, or from material performance issues. 
• Toilet failures. Toilets cause the second highest number of residential water damage losses after plumbing supply system failures and are the result of faulty fill valves or clogged drain lines. 
• Water heater failures. If your water heater has reached its life expectancy, the tank begins to rust and corrode, which can result in leaking or bursting issues. 
• Washing machine failures. These are typically caused by supply hose failures, machine overflows and drain line failures. 

If your home or business has experienced water damage, call SERVPRO of SW Waukesha County at 262-542-0900