The homes and businesses in Charlotte, NC, are frequently affected by water damage. This problem stems from numerous environmental and structural causes that conspire against the average property owner. For one, the weather can be uncooperative. Charlotte's rains can be torrential, and when you couple those with our thunderstorms and the occasional hurricane, you have an environment in which the risk of flooding is prevalent. Even a seemingly minor plumbing issue can introduce enough moisture over time to begin the slow, insidious process of weakening a structure from the inside out.
Adding to this problem is the local geology. Some soil types hold water like a sponge, and when you place that around a foundation, you're asking for trouble. Poor drainage systems, which are also a local problem, can further saturate the soil around a foundation and make it more likely that a property will incur water damage.
Water damage in homes and businesses in Charlotte can be traced to many sources, and plumbing is a major one. It is easy to see why; plumbing is, after all, the medium through which so much water (and, in the case of leaks and other plumbing disasters, too much water) passes. That plumbing, like the buildings it serves, can be old, new, or in between, but it’s mostly old if we’re talking about the age of a building since Charlotte became a city in 1768. Add to this the prospect of a building housing an “old new” plumbing system—a system that has been poorly installed, or that employed shoddy materials—and you’ve got a pretty decent recipe for plumbing disasters. Furthermore, time and the elements will take an “age and wear” toll on such plumbing systems if they have not been built and/or maintained to last.
Finally, improperly maintained and installed equipment can lead to water intrusion. In residential and commercial settings, appliances like water heaters, dishwashers, and washing machines that are not installed correctly can cause significant leaks and even flooding. Audits of human-related problems often find that failure to maintain equipment and to pay attention to early warning signs have allowed water problems that should have been easily manageable to escalate into serious damage. Insulating pipes properly, ensuring that windows and doors are sealed, and are taking basic, commonsensical steps to maintain one's property can lead to a significant reduction in water damage incidents. Neglecting these tasks can lead to human error causing water entry into buildings, to the neglect of maintenance schedules, and to deliberate ignorance of the appearance of problems that can be managed easily if they are dealt with early enough.