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Water Damage: The Silent Killer of New Zealand Homes
- Bill Zhao
- Oct 15
- 2 min read
With countless Kiwi homes still reeling from the fallout of New Zealand’s leaky homes crisis, checking in and caring for your home is a prudent practice that can save you a bunch of time and money.
So why check for water leakage? Well, moisture ingress is one of the most prevalent silent killers – slow and subtle, yet unmistakably deadly over time. Water that seeps into the structural elements of a home can weaken and damage components over time. Outside of structural rot, moisture is also an excellent cultivator for mould and can harm insulation performance – this can lead to implications for health and quality of life.
It's often hard to tell if a home is leaky or water damaged, but knowing the right places to look can staunch a problem before it swells out of control. Often, the problems can come from inside, instead of out. Hoses and pipes are a common interior contributor: your washing machine connectors, for example, and under-sink pipework. Even an occasional drip is cause for concern, such as garden hose faucets, so be sure the check the surrounding area.
In the bathroom, check the seals around the shower and tub, replacing it if cracked. Also, it’s always prudent to know where the water main is – a burst pipe can have costly consequences. Fire and electrical hazards can also stem from wayward water: moisture that finds its way inside electronics is a catalyst for crisis. For vulnerable parts of your home, consider an electronic leak detector.
If there’s anything we’ve learnt from the leaky homes crisis, it’s that proactively solving a problem is better than letting it fester – a key tenet of VIKON’s when it comes to everything construction. A repair that costs a few hundred dollars now can save tens of thousands in the future.
If you own a home built in the late 80s to early 2000s and are unsure if it’s affected, be sure to check, and commission a specialist if you’re suspicious. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.
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