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Plumbing has been one of the greatest inventions of all time. Without it, we wouldn’t have any running water. We wouldn’t be able to take a bath without having to carry bucket loads of water to a tub. We wouldn’t be able to wash our hands quickly or do the laundry without having to put in additional work other than loading the clothes into the machine.

Unfortunately, there are always downsides to everything good as well, not everything that glimmers is gold. Although plumbing has greatly improved our lives and civilization as a whole, it does open us up to the danger of water damage. A good plumber will be able to help you maintain your plumbing in order to ensure that you never have to deal with water damage in your entire life.

In this article, we’ll debunk 5 of the most common water damage myths that are around. If you have any other questions surrounding water damage, you can always contact a plumbing service in Mansfield, TX. A good plumber will know exactly what you’re trying to figure out. They’ll also be able to come to your home in order to assess the condition of your plumbing in order to ensure that you’re good to go.

What Is Water Damage?

Water damage basically describes damage where water is the main cause of the problem. Water that has intruded into your home will damage various materials, like plywood or wood. if the water damage is not dealt with quickly, then any types of materials that are made of wood may begin to rot. Any materials that are made of steel May begin to rust and any materials that are made from plywood May begin to delaminate. Depending on the extent of the water damage, you could be facing a major loss. Some water damages can cause upwards of thousands of dollars to repair.

This is why it is so important to call a plumber as soon as possible when you notice a leak. If you let the leak continue to spread, you could be faced with a major headache.

Categories of Water Damage

Let’s dive a little deeper into the different categories of water damage that you might face. It really depends on the level of contamination that is found in the water. This will depend on the type of Plumbing that has broken. For example, if the pipe that supplies water into your home from the main water line has burst, the water is likely to be clean. However, if the sewer line bursts, the water will be dirty and filled with contaminants.

Water damage can be separated into three categories. They include:

• Category 1 Water. This is also known as clean water. The water does not contain any contamination or substantial threat to human beings. This usually happens when there’s a burst or a leak with the water supply lines.

• Category 2 Water. This is also known as grey water. This type of water will also contain some type of contamination whether it be chemical, biological or physical. For example, they may contain microorganisms. Contaminants can cause severe discomfort or sickness. You’ll be dealing with Category 2 water if there is a sump pump failure or if you’re dealing with toilet water that contains urine and no feces.

• Category 3 Water. This is also known as Black Water. This category of water is grossly unsanitary and contains harmful agents like bacteria and fungi that can cause severe discomfort or sickness. This happens when water sources from sewage seep into your home. It can also happen if there is a storm surge or if you’re dealing with rising waters from rivers or streams. If you do not remove category 2 water immediately, it can also quickly become category 3 water.

Regardless of what water category you are dealing with, the first thing that you should do when you’re faced with water damage or a burst pipe is to call a Mansfield, TX plumber. You also want to shut off the main water line or with the plumbing in general if you can.

In these situations, you’ll likely need to call for an emergency plumber. By opting for emergency services, a plumber will basically drop everything that they’re doing to help you fix the situation!

Myth #1: I’ve Already Experienced One Leak, so It Won’t Happen Again

For some reason or another, there’s a myth going around that if you’ve already experienced one leak in your home, then you’re less likely to experience another one. Unfortunately, plumbing leaks are not a one-time event. In fact, if you have recently experienced a pipe burst or a leak, you’ll be two times as likely to experience another leak.

In order to prevent this from happening, you should get a plumber to come take a look at your plumbing system as a whole. This is also why it is so important to get your plumbing system serviced annually. Regular services include a video inspection that will look at the condition of the plumbing structures inside. This helps a plumber easily pick out whether there are any areas that need to be reinforced or strengthened.

You can also think about it like this. If you’ve already experienced one leak, it likely means that there is something wrong with your plumbing system as a whole. This could be because it is aging or it could be because some of the parts are simply getting loose from the water pressure inside. If you’ve recently dealt with the leak, there’s a good chance that you’ll deal with another one in the near future. It’s a sign that your plumbing system is starting to age.

The best thing that you can do for your home and your plumbing system is to get a plumber to come inspect everything.

Myth #2: I Only Need to Worry About Leaks that I Can See

If you can’t see it, you don’t need to worry about it. For some reason, this is another myth that some people believe in. As long as they do not see the leak with their own eyes, they do not think that it needs to be addressed. Unfortunately, a lot of your plumbing is hidden behind walls and other structures. Even if there is a leak, you might not see evidence of the leak.

This doesn’t mean that you should not address the leak or try to fix it at all. In fact, if you do not fix the leak, it could seep into the structural foundation of your home. It could also cause a boatload of problems that you definitely do not need.

Detecting these leaks is very difficult. This is why you need to get a professional to inspect your home every year. Only a professional will have the tools and equipment needed to figure out where the leak is located. They’ll also be able to use a variety of different methods and techniques to patch up the leak before it gets any worse.

One way to detect a leak is to monitor your water bills and water usage closely. If you noticed that your water usage seems to be increasing although you haven’t been doing anything new, it could be a sign that there’s a leak somewhere in your plumbing.

Myth #3: I Can wait to Call a Plumber if It’s a Small Leak

Many homeowners may walk by a small leak and think that it’s nothing big. They may think that they don’t even need to acknowledge the leak until it becomes a major problem. However, by then, the problem will usually be too big to handle.

It is so easy for small leaves to turn into major headaches and disasters. The moments that you notice a leak, you should call a plumber. You definitely should not wait at all. If you wait, the water can seep into the structural foundations of your home, causing more trouble than necessary. The cost of fixing a major leak is much higher than the cost of fixing a small leak.

On top of this, if you do not deal with the water as soon as possible, it could encourage old and other fungi to grow in your home. Mold and fungi can be harmful to your health. In fact, they’re probably really problematic for those with autoimmune conditions are those with respiratory conditions. You definitely do not want a leak to welcome all of these contaminants and pathogens into your Mansfield, TX home. Once they do, these pathogens and contaminants are difficult to completely eliminate.

Myth #4: My Insurance Will Cover the Cost of the Repairs Caused by Water Damage

Some homeowners are under the impression that they don’t really need to worry about leaks because any water damage that is caused by the leaks will be covered by their homeowner’s insurance. This is likely to be quite false.

For one, fixing the water damage can easily end up costing more than what you’d think it does with the insurance. This means that your insurance company may only cover a fraction of the costs. More importantly, your premiums are likely to go up. Some homeowners have been hit with premiums that have skyrocketed several hundred or even thousands of dollars because of water damage.

In addition, some companies might even drop their customers during the renewal. In order to avoid having to deal with any other claims that might come from the water damage, like mold problems. Finding another home insurance company can be a challenge, and you could end up forking over a lot to fix the water damage yourself in the future.

Myth #5: There’s Nothing I Can Do to Prevent a Leak

Another common misconception is that leaks just happened. There’s nothing that you can do to prevent it. This is simply false.

There are so many different ways that you can prevent a leak from happening in the first place. However, you likely do not have the experience or the technical know-how to prevent a leak. This is why it is so important to call a plumber and have them inspect or service your plumbing every year. These professionals are trained to maintain your plumbing in order to ensure that nothing major ever happens.

Some of the things that you can do to prevent leaks include:

• Checking the water fixtures regularly
• Leaving fixtures at a drip when the temperatures drop
• Installing whole-home smart leak detectors

There are so many other things that you can do. To learn more, all you have to do is ask.

Call Us for a Plumber in Mansfield, TX

The bottom line is this colon water damage is quite a significant problem. It can create great losses and can damage your property beyond repair. Because of this reason, you definitely want to protect yourself as much as possible. If you notice a leak or if you suspect that there’s something wrong with your plumbing, you should contact a plumber in Mansfield, TX as soon as possible. Not only will a plumber know what to look for, but they’ll also be able to provide you with several solutions based on your budget and your needs.

Benjamin Franklin Plumbing of Fort Worth can offer you the plumbing solutions that you were looking for regardless of what problem you are facing. All of our plumbers are licensed and insured. They are also very dedicated in their work, so they are constantly receiving additional training on a variety of plumbing repairs and services, like how to repair a pipe break.

If you’re in the Fort Worth, Mansfield, TX area, you can contact us by calling 817-983-7876. If you’re in the Arlington area, you can reach a plumber by calling 817-478-4119. Our plumbers are available all hours of the day, and we are able to offer emergency Services. If there’s a major leak or a flood, you’ll definitely need to contact an emergency plumber as soon as possible. This isn’t something that you would want to wait around to fix.