Hidden Water Leak Brings Enthusiastic Mold

6/5/2019 (Permalink)

Mold within a wall from a hidden leak in a Central Phoenix home

A hidden water leak within your wall will leave you with an overwhelming amount of mold if it goes untreated for a time. You may not even know you have a hidden water leak within your wall for a while and when you finally go to have it taken care of, mold, mold and more mold is found. It’s purple, black, and orange and now it demands to have a professional mold remover to remediate.

So how are you supposed to know if and when you have a hidden water leak behind your wall? Let’s go over some subtle red flags that will help you identify if you have one.

• Prime conditions for mold is moisture and darkness which are generally behind walls and under the floors. If a pipe starts leaking behind a wall mold will grow and spread. If you spot mold in an unexpected place where water doesn't typically collect, you may have a hidden water leak.
• Paint or wallpaper peeling off from walls
• Mysterious mildew smell
• Ceiling or wall that is cracking or buckling with water-stains
• A wall that has a weird stain for no reason at all

If you don’t see any of these red flags, there is an alternative way to find out if you have a hidden water leak within your wall. Here’s what you do.

• Turn off all appliances that use water
• Go to your water meter and write down the number of gallons used by your household.
• Wait about 3 hours or more and during this time refrain from using any water at all.
• Look at the water meter again and if the number has increased, then you’ve got a hidden water leak.

The effects of mold on people can be quite serious. Especially for those with compromised respiratory issues like asthma or mold allergies. Mold from a hidden water leak requires a professional mold remediator and remover like our techs at SERVPRO of Central Phoenix.

Author, Chris Butas, 
Project Manager at SERVPRO of Central Phoenix

Chris Butas is our Senior Estimator and Commercial Project Manager and has been with SERVPRO of Central Phoenix for over 15 years. Chris is IICRC certified as a WRT in water damage restoration and has experience in all types of floods and water damages.