If there’s a musty smell in the air, if you’re experiencing mold and mildew, and if you even seeing changes to warping wooden materials or damp carpets, then there’s going to be a good chance your home has a problem with moisture. If you want a healthy home, you have to get it under check, so here are a few places you need to inspect.

Start with the pipes

The most obvious answer is often the right one. Plumbing gets old, experiences wear and tear, loses its fit, and can spring pinholes. All of these can cause leaks. Plumbing leaks don’t always gush, but rather can lead to a drip that slowly does a much wider range of damage since it’s hard to identify. Damp that spreads away from your outside walls, especially near radiators, sinks, and other places where your plumbing pipes are give you a sure sign that you’re going to need to call a local plumber to take care of them.

Don’t forget to check your AC

Faulty air conditioning can be a cause if you’re starting to see signs of a leak on the walls if the windows are forming condensation, or there’s a musty smell hanging around the home. When air conditioners lose cooling power (which you can identify by a hissing sound) it can mean a leak, and also lower air quality due to a less effective AC. Work with your local AC repair services to make sure your air conditioner is no longer the problem. Air purifiers can help you clean up the airflow after, too.

Check under your feet

If it’s not a leak from appliances inside the home, then you need to check what external areas can be causing the issue. Rising damp is a serious issue, and is often caused by things like a slab leak. If an eroded pipe leads to a leak, then the ground below the foundation can shift, and this can spring moisture up into the home. If you do need slab leak repair, then you’re also likely to be losing water pressure, as the pipes under the floor will be leaking the water that’s supposed to be making it into the home.

It’s coming from outside

There are a lot of ways that moisture and water can get inside the home from the outdoors, often due to the weakening of one of the boundaries that are supposed to protect the inside. For instance, old doors and windows lose their effectiveness over time. If you have a blocked gutter, then the water that builds up in them can then start to head inside. Missing, cracked, or damaged roof tiles lead to leaks. Then, the water that gets in can expand the pores in the walls, allowing mold and mildew to spread unchecked and do real damage to your home. Look for roof repair, window replacement, door replacement, or gutter cleaning services if you need to.

Moisture problems are a serious issue and one that you should work to identify as soon as you see any of the signs of damp, mold, or mildew.