Water Water Everywhere, Damage on the Brink

Well it's 4 am and the my coffee pot is percolating away on the single burner hot plate sitting atop the workbench in my workshop. My truck is sitting outside waiting to be loaded with the tarps and other items necessary to deal with my share of the massive amount of water incursion issues coming my way due to two recent rainstorms we've had here in the PNW.

So grab yourself a cup of coffee and read along as I impart what I've learned over the years about water and the problems it can cause to your home and your bank account.

Water is responsible for more damage than just about anything else when it comes to home maintenance. Often water damage is from leaking plumbing and the most devastating damage (structural damage) is usually from the slow drips you don't notice for extended periods of time that cause loads of mold and rot. Floods that occur from larger splits in either pipes or tanks can be very messy to clean up but usually never become structural. today we are talking about the water that comes from the sky.

We used to call them the "Pineapple Express" a weather system signified by a narrow stream of warm moisture filled air moving directly from the equatorial center of the Pacific Ocean to the Pacific Northwest of America and Canada. When this warm moist air reaches the continent the air is condensed and its moisture is released to fall on whatever is below. Today we call them "Atmospheric Rivers" The term Atmospheric River was coined by researchers at MIT in the mid 90's and is graded in scales from 1-5 with 1 being considered weak and 5 being considered exceptional. Broadcasters love the newer term because it sounds much more menacing than the previous coinage and allows them to both grab viewers attention and build stories around whatever damage the falling water causes. What does this mean to the average homeowner? Well concentrated moisture, especially prolonged concentrated moisture can overcome the defenses we build into our homes, roads and well just about everything.

How can this affect you? Firstly nearly no roofs are actually waterproof. Roof systems are designed to utilize gravity and "shed" water in a downward flow dripping off the lower edge of a higher shingle to the mid section of a lower shingle and on and on until it either ends up in a gutter or drips off the edge of the roof to the ground. All along this system however there are cracks or holes that are never a problem unless the water backs up for one reason or another. You see if water moves uphill rather than down it can climb over the upper edge of a shingle or flashing etc. and get under the shingles. When water gets under the shingles it can work its way into the roof structure where it can either go unnoticed in small amounts or flood out if in large enough amounts. While floods can seem devastating and potentially do much damage they are always noticed quickly and measures can be taken to limit the damage and repairs can be quick. The smaller unnoticed incursions can however be devastating because they go on and on without apparent identification and can cause extensive mold and rot that can be quite expensive to correct.

This is true not only of shingle roofs but metal roofs, flat membrane style roofs and so on. This also holds true to other areas of your home including the siding, windows, gutters, foundation drains and so on. All of these areas are designed to function properly under "normal" conditions and most are capable of handling extensive conditions but every one of them will have limitations that when pushed will fail.

So what causes these failures. Lets start back up on the roof. As with everything I'm going to mention maintenance is a must. Roofing materials degrade at differing rates depending on what they are made of and how they were installed. A roof that didn't leak last year under the exact same conditions may well leak this year due to degradation. Degradation comes from exposure to the elements as well as material limitations. These conditions can be exacerbated by debris that builds up and causes "Damming" of the roof. Damming allows the water to build up in pools and is usually the cause of water infiltration. Roof design can also be a problem. A roof that has never been a problem in the past may become one if the sheer amount of water that falls on it can't shed itself fast enough again causing a form of damming that allows water to rise to a point that it creeps into the home.

So what can you do to insure you won't incur unnecessary damages? Well keeping your roof clean of debris is one. Debris usually comes from the trees surrounding the house. Leaves and pine needles, sometimes branches are to blame. Branch impacts can "spear" holes into roofing material causing accelerated issues. Clean all moss from your roof. Lines of moss cause small damming issues all over the roof and the roots the moss sends out dig into the roof material causing it to breakdown much faster than it otherwise would. Keep your gutter system clean and flowing properly. Not only should you clean it of debris but every few years you should insure the gutters are still flowing properly. House settling can cause gutters to flow backwards from its intended direction allowing the gutter to fill with water. Gutters that fill with water become very heavy and often pull completely off the house requiring replacement. Gutters that hold water rather than shed it can become a major problem if the weather freezes and snow builds up. The frozen gutters wont accept the melting show causing overflowing, over weighting, Icicles and so on. Continue your maintenance through the downspouts which easily become clogged when tree debris flows into them and downstream from there you may need to deal with an underground drainsystem which can become clogged both from debris flowing into it from the roof and any roots that grow into it from the vegetation surrounding your home.

I won't go into detail surrounding the wall systems of your home on this installment other than to say that the same type of damage can occure for similar reasons.

How can you identify actual water infiltration? You should keep in mind that water will follow the path of least resistance so signs of water infiltration may be some distance away from where it actually comes into the home and downhill is the way the water will flow. Flooding is usually apparent. Lesser forms may become noticeable by gazing up at your ceiling. Stains on the drywall may be faint or very apparent. Water may start dripping from light fixtures or metal may begin to rust. Metal is often light fixtures but may also be hooks or brackets mounted to the walls and ceilings. If the moisture is penetrating a wall it will usually build up at the base of the wall and will work its way through the drywall or under the carpet, so staining in this area or moisture on the floor or in the carpet should be investigated. Musty odors should prompt you to begin an investigation of their cause. If you have access to your attic you can search for moisture laden structural members or telltale black staining of mold

The earlier you identify an issue the easier it can be to correct it. If you feel you need a professional opinion feel free to give me a call.

Kirkland Handyman & Alpine Creek Construction

"Building on a Foundation of Trust"