Thursday, January 29, 2009

Prevent Water Damage in Your Bathroom

By Pat Johnson

There is a lot of plumbing happening in your bathroom. If trouble breaks out you may not notice it right away because everything is hidden in the walls and floors. When you do finally catch wind of the problem it may already be too late avoid a costly repair bill.

An ounce of prevention is truly worth a pound of cure in this case. It is an extremely good practice to employ a routine inspection of the most common bathroom trouble spots. This will allow you to nip a potential problem in the bud before it has a chance to manifest and turn into real disaster that will be costly to have repaired and cleaned up.

The toilet and surrounding area can be your first stop. Toilet leaks are especially troubling because they can bring with them leaking sewage. This presents a serious health hazard and requires special attention. Don't take this area lightly.

Be sure to act on anything you notice that suggests water is getting into areas it is not supposed to. A soft or spongy floor can be a good indication that you have a leak somewhere. Don't ignore the problem as it won't go away. The only prudent thing to do is to find the source and fix it immediately.

Check around the tub and shower. A large amount of water is run through this area on a regular basis so if its integrity is breached, then there is a big risk of water damage to the bathroom as a whole.

Look for cracked tiles and missing grout. Water can get behind the tiles through these defects so you will want to repair them promptly. Check the caulking around the tub where water could get into an open space. Finally check the floor for softness in this area too. Again a sign of a bigger problem.

Finally inspect the sink and counter. The pipes are often contained in the cabinet below so leaks are not always discovered right away. Look underneath for any signs of water or water stains.

An ounce of prevention really is worth a bound of cure when it comes to water damage in the bathroom. Don't suffer from regret later when following this simple routine maintenance scheduled could have avoided calamity altogether.

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