Water Intrusion After It Rains

Sometimes when it rains a lot in places like Southern California where it doesn’t usually rain that much, water will find a way in through areas you didn’t realize were vulnerable. Don’t be surprised; it’s just a vulnerability that was exposed because of the volume being sufficient to allow it. 

I do a lot of water intrusion inspections in the course of my insurance and construction defects inspections. The mystery of where it came from is just like any other mystery where you must look for clues, you follow the evidence.

When you stare at the leak, under the sink or on a ceiling you just keep following the water, usually upward until it points to the area where it came from. In the case of a sink cavity under a cabinet it’s usually the sink drain assembly or one of the water valves. It could also be a leak through a granite or tile counter where a void exists at a joint or a faucet mounted on the deck that is not tight. In a ceiling water leak stain you might go into the attic and look for evidence. If you find nothing there you might have to hire a roofer to spot the deficiency on the roof where you do not want to go.

To someone who does this all the time it’s not so difficult but to the average homeowner who is not a construction person this might all be too unmanageable. In