When it comes to dealing with home repairs and DIY fixes, the bathroom is the worst possible room to have to deal with. The chance for water damage is high, the pipes can rattle and pop, and the toilet can block and make a very smelly mess.
All in all, when a problem hits the bathroom, it turns it into a disaster zone!
Which is why you should be on the lookout for a bathroom disaster from the moment it makes itself known. Get to know the signs of a looming incident to make sure the space is always functional and hygienic.
Darkened Areas in the Walls
Most bathrooms aren’t tiled all the way around. Unless it’s a specialised wet room, where it’s understood that the water really can get everywhere, there’s going to be free wall space on show.
And when those wall spaces start to darken and stain, it’s a sign your bathroom isn’t as well waterproofed as you once thought.
Water has gotten into the walls around the tiles (maybe even underneath them) and you may need to replace your backsplash or simply expand it to fit the splash zones better.
Weird Noises in the Pipes
Hearing the water go through the bathroom pipes is usually just fine. You might hear a little rush or whoosh here and there, but it’s often nothing to worry about. As long as it’s quiet and in the background, you should be all good.
However, when the sounds become a little too frequent, loud, or turn into totally different sounds altogether, you’ll want to get in touch with a local plumber.
The weirder the sound, the sooner the pipes should be checked out. Clanking and clanging around? That could be the pipe itself having some trouble accommodating the water or even staying securely in place, and the last thing you want is a flood on your hands!
Damage to the Grouting
We touched on the bathroom tiles above, and now we need to talk about damage to the grouting! And we don’t mean dirty grouting here. You can easily get some normal cleaning detergent on that and make it sparkle and shine like it’s brand new!
We mean actual, clear to see damage here. Because grouting doesn’t quite last forever; though you can get 10+ years out of it, usually. But if the grouting around your tiles has started to flake or crack, you’re going to need to scrape it out and regrout.
Make sure there’s no water trapped underneath before you apply any new grouting. If you’re lucky, you might be able to soak it up with some tissue now, before it soaks in anywhere else!
So, is a disaster on its way to your bathroom? The signs above are the most common to experience, but they’re not the only ones you might come across. Keep an eye out for anything that looks, sounds, or even smells a bit weird. It’s better to check in advance!
Image Credit: depositphotos.com
