What causes water damage in New Jersey homes

Six things put water where it does not belong, and they fall into two groups: the ones that arrive in minutes, and the ones that have been arriving for years without anybody deciding to do something about them.

Six ways in, and gravity gives them all the same address. Across much of North Jersey the basement floor sits near the seasonal water table, which is why the pump matters as much as the plumbing.

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1 The ceiling stain. The wet spot is the end of the path, not the start of it.
2 A burst supply line. Under pressure, so it does not wait for anyone to notice.
3 A frozen line. The run inside an exterior wall is the one that gives in January.
4 The washer hose. Braided or rubber, behind a machine nobody moves for years at a time.
5 The water heater. The tank opens at a seam, and it opens without warning.
6 Groundwater and backup. A high table pushing at the footing, and a drain that runs backwards in a heavy week.

The ones that arrive in minutes

The ones that have been arriving for years

Water that shows up with the rain and drains away over the days after it is not a plumbing failure. It is groundwater taking the easiest path it can find, and it belongs to a different trade, on a date, in daylight — not to whoever answers the phone at eleven at night.

Basement seepage Basement waterproofing and persistent seepage

The question that sorts them

Was it raining? Water on a clear day came from a line inside the house. Water that follows the weather and leaves with it came from outside: through a wall, a floor joint, or a pump that could not keep up. That one answer decides who to call, how quickly, and how the claim tends to be read.

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