Escape of water - not just for winter

With insurers paying out £1.8m for it every day, the team at Home & Legacy look at what you can do to prevent escape of water at home or in the office.

Just like a dog isn’t just for Christmas, escape of water isn’t just a winter issue. Can pipes burst due to freezing conditions? Absolutely, but they aren’t the only cause of water leaks in your home or business – blocked drains and leaky appliances can also be the source of the problem.

Many people are now choosing to go on holiday out of the busy summer season, but did you know escape of water is made worse by unoccupancy? This therefore makes it a year-round problem. 

A case of escape of water during unoccupancy

A homeowner, who had a policy with Home & Legacy, returned from a three week holiday to the sound of hissing coming from their downstairs toilet. When they opened the door, they discovered water on the tiles. What had happened was a copper pipe supplying the downstairs toilet had corroded, causing the leak. 

The initial assessment determined that damage rectification would be straightforward because the house was not completely flooded. Therefore, work on stripping out and drying the downstairs bathroom began, however it soon became apparent that the problem had extended far beyond the toilet. 

Despite first appearances, due to the water escaping over such a prolonged period of time it had run under the flooring in the hallway and the living room, even into the kitchen, damaging the floor throughout. In addition, the plaster on the walls had blown and the shells of the kitchen cabinets were also destroyed.

The family house had recently been redecorated and the homeowners now faced extensive disruption, with replacement flooring, plastering and further redecoration required in the entire downstairs of their house, as well as a replacement kitchen.