Treating damage due to water can be a hassle. It can happen because of many reasons, like leakage from appliances, broken pipes, or a sewer backup. Damaged areas that are visible are bound to make you stressed, but what about the hidden ones? Consequences are worst when you cannot discover the damage until too late.
Moreover, it not just affects the walls or ground but has a significant impact on your health as well. untreated water damage can be relatively dangerous and is crucial to deal with as soon as you discover it. Below we have enlisted some risks of leaving the water damage untreated.
Toxic Mold and Fungi Growth
If you have had water damage in your home, you are confined to face mold growth at some point. It could grow between 1-5 days after being exposed. Mold spores can attack any surface, regardless of the material, and the sooner these bacteria form, they take to a residence in the surroundings, doing more damage to your property.
Some mold types contain neurotoxins that are associated with major respiratory disorders. You must remove the damaged area and clean all the debris immediately after it comes to your notice.
Property Structural Damage
Bacterial development may occur inside the mold that has been exposed to water. These bacteria will respond fast when the mold spreads since their food source has been disturbed. The house’s foundation may deteriorate because of outside forces that affect the amount of water entering the structure and how long it stays there; it might lead to additional structural harm beyond the walls in areas with levels above ground.
A home’s walls, floors, and belongings may get flooded due to storm or hurricane damage. FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) research indicates that flood victims have significantly damaged indoors and outdoors of their homes in 85% of cases. Sand, which may cut through the majority of materials located within the home and compromise the structural integrity of the building, is one of the frequently harmful substances present in such water.
Health Risks
Dealing with contaminated water like floodwater puts your health at severe risk. The water may include contaminants harmful to health, including bacteria, sewage, and chemical waste. Toxins, debris, and dangerous germs could also be present in water running via a broken pipe. You might prefer to handle a flood clean-up by yourself despite the health dangers. Dirty water exposure can cause the development of diseases like typhoid or dysentery. It may also cause conditions relating to your brain, lungs, or kidney. You are advised to wear appropriate clean-up materials like goggles and an N-95 mask while dealing with the contaminated water.
Pests
Water damage is one of the most common attractions for pests like cockroaches, silverfish, carpenter ants, and beetles. They get a suitable moist atmosphere they prefer to live. You may also find rodents invading your home in search of water. After water damage, earwigs and moths are occasionally visible inside the house. Moreover, drain flies favor damp environments and leave wet messes everywhere.
Wet insulation or carpeting is one indication of a bug infestation. Scratching noises might come from one of the walls.
Insects can enter via cracks and gaps in windows shattered by floods or water damage, even if you do not first see any. If this occurs, repairs must be made very away to prevent more harm!
Risk of Electric Shock
Following water damage, electricity can seep into the house. Because of its unknown contents, water-damaged wire is unlike anything else on earth and is more vulnerable to sparking and electrical accidents, among other things. Oxidation brought on by water might result in shorted wires or leaks in your pipes if not treated right away by a qualified electrician.
Never try to repair any damaged electrical work on your own! Electrical shock or even electrocution might result from grabbing an extension wire with bare hands and shaking it about in the damp environment of your house. If your house has gone through severe damage, make sure to call up for a professional water damage clean-up service firm. Contact us if you want to get your home refurbished.