Under normal circumstances, water will never get into your home when pressure washing is taking place. However, there are risks to be aware of when pressure washing. In this article, we will briefly explain why water will not enter your home from pressure washing, areas to be careful around when washing to avoid water entry, and what to do if water does enter your home after a pressure washing service.
Water is extremely unlikely to enter your home during a pressure washing service due to the construction of your walls being designed to prevent water entry. In a typical suburban home, the walls are made of a variety of materials which each do their part to prevent water intrusion. These components, from outside to inside, are the siding (typically vinyl on newer-built homes), the house wrap, plywood or OSB sheathing, insulation, 2x4 framing lumber, and gypsum board.Â
While water is likely to get behind your siding during a pressure washing service, siding is designed to let water drain. Vinyl siding has weeping holes at regular intervals and they allow for a quick and efficient water drainage system. The house wrap behind the siding is also an effective waterproofer for your home and will prevent any water from getting behind it if it is installed correctly. However, even if the house wrap is ineffective, many homes are built with water-resistant plywood or OSB sheathing to further prevent water intrusion. This is not always the case, but it is a very unlikely scenario where the sheathing will allow bulk water to get behind it. All this to say, there is little to no risk of water intrusion into your home during or after a pressure washing service if done by a trained professional.
All homes have areas in or around the walls that allow for ventilation and can allow water to bypass the typical multi-staged protection of the walls. These areas include the laundry vent, roof vents, attic vents, and soffit vents. These areas are easy to spot and should be either avoided or not overwashed during a pressure washing process. A professional will be able to better judge how to perform the service to avoid water intrusion into your home. If you are doing the pressure washing project on your own, be very careful in these areas and refer to our other articles on pressure washing here.
If water does get into your home during a pressure washing project, you need to assess the actual damage to know how to move forward. If the water intrusion was fairly minimal or went through a vent into the home, you likely have very little to worry about as the walls should be completely fine. We recommend removing water from the wet area and allowing it to air dry.Â
If the water intrusion was more significant, you should contact the company that performed your service and file an insurance claim. Any reputable, long-lasting, and high-quality pressure washing company should be able to file a claim for you after a quick inspection and get your home back in the condition it should have been in. At EcoWash, we have every project insured for a million dollars in damages and stand by our commitment to our customers on our high-quality pressure washing services. If you need someone to pressure wash your home, you can request an estimate here.