Plumbers are intimately familiar with an expression they wish more homeowners truly understood: water finds a way. Meaning, if you have water moving through your home, it is always – ALWAYS – searching for paths of least resistance.

Or pictured another way, where termites and other pests are trying to find paths into your home, water is struggling to get out. Your job is to keep both where they belong. And we know, we know, it isn’t easy.

How Water Wins

A poorly installed seal, a loose coupling, use of the wrong material, a crack or structural weakness, repeated temperature fluctuations over time, are just some of the many avenues of escape water will seek in your home.

For obvious reasons, bathrooms and kitchens are ground zero for water leaks, particularly bathrooms. Water is constantly pulsing in and out of toilets, sinks, tubs and showers, and wherever it can, water will find a way to escape.

While old, outdated bathrooms are a natural source of concern, it turns out newly remodeled bathrooms are a common source of water leaks.

The reasons why are not only straight-forward but also easy to avoid.

1. Uncertified Contractors – This is the biggie. More times than we can remember, we’ve been called to fix a ‘bargain’ remodel job that wasn’t done right. In almost all these cases, the contractor wasn’t certified, didn’t know building codes, and often came from a country where U.S. standards simply didn’t apply.
2. Incorrect Building Materials – The right contractor will help you choose the correct materials, seals and sealants, waterproofing, and so on.
3. Expertise – Like everything else in life, bathroom and kitchen remodels have become increasingly sophisticated. It’s NOT where you want your contractor learning on the job.
4. Warranties, Guarantees, and Insurance – Certified contractors with confidence in their work will routinely offer warranties and guarantees on their work and will also be insured against accidents (let’s not even get into the nightmare of unbonded, uninsured workers making a mistake in your home or, worse, being injured – we’ll cover that in a different post).

• 10% – roughly the percentage of U.S. homes that experience a leak in any given year

• 10,000 – number of gallons the typical leak generates in a year

• 1 trillion – gallons of water leaked nationally per year

Making Peace With Water

It’s difficult to believe indoor plumbing only became available to average homes a century ago (huge stretches of our planet remain without access to clean, indoor water). And what a gift it is?

Except when it isn’t. Like when it leaks.

If you’re going to get your bathroom or kitchen remodeled, ensure you’re working with a certified contractor who, in writing, will guarantee and warranty their work.

Only then can you sleep well at night knowing the proper codes have been followed, appropriate sealants and waterproofing executed, and that beautiful new bathroom won’t start leaking on your head a year or two from now.

Otherwise, water will find a way.