Water Damage — problems, causes and costs
I Like To Fix
Everything we have on water damage — what fails, why, what it costs, and which of it you can handle without calling anyone.
Homes built before about 1940
Pre-war construction — galvanized supply, cast iron drains, cloth-wrapped wiring, ungrounded circuits.
- Water under an old house after heavy rain
- Cast iron drain leaking below the floor
- Original galvanised supply burst
- Plaster holding water without showing it
- Damage from a burst pipe in a freeze
- Wet insulation under the floor
- Historic staining nobody has explained
- No shutoff valves at individual fixtures
- Sewer backing up into the lowest fixture
Homes built roughly 1940 to 1980
Post-war and mid-century — copper supply, aging cast iron stacks, 60 to 100 amp panels, first-generation central air.
- Slab leak tracking under the flooring
- Water heater failed in the garage
- Ceiling stain growing after rain
- Carpet wet more than two days
- Supply hose to the washing machine
- Drying quoted without moisture readings
- Sewage backup and no rider on the policy
- AC condensate overflowing in the attic
- Damp smell in a closet on an exterior wall
Homes built roughly 1980 to 2000
The polybutylene and aluminum-wiring window, 150 amp panels, R-22 systems and first-cycle architectural shingle.
- Water at the base of a wall with no visible source
- Refrigerator or ice maker line
- Upstairs laundry
- Water heater over ten years old
- Restoration company recommending full demolition
- Storm-driven rain through a window
- Dishwasher leaking at the door seal
- Sump pump untested
- Standing water and live electrical
Homes built since 2000
PEX on slab, 200 amp service, builder-grade equipment that reaches end of life across a whole street at once.
- Builder-grade supply connectors failing
- Water in a finished space below a bathroom
- Whole-house leak detection available
- New slab still releasing moisture
- Grade sloping back toward the foundation
- Tankless unit leaking at the connections
- Frozen hose bib on a new build
- Warranty still live on the plumbing
- Condensate pump in a closet install
Any age of home
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Written by Jaylan Jones. I Like To Fix earns a referral fee when a call connects to a contractor. See our business-model disclosure.