How to tell if water is trapped after a leak
Even if surfaces feel dry to the touch after running fans, water often remains hidden beneath cabinets or trapped behind ceilings. Homeowners hesitate to hire restoration specialists to check for this hidden moisture because they fear these companies are incentivized to sell unnecessary services. This uncertainty leaves people stuck guessing until mold appears, at which point the drywall is ruined and cannot simply be cleaned with bleach.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
How to tell if water is trapped after a leak
- 1Using a pinless moisture meter on the surface, which often gives confusing or skewed readings.Did this help you?
- 2Running floor fans over the area for a few days and hoping it dries.Did this help you?
- 3Prying up floor tiles to physically feel if the layer underneath is wet.Did this help you?
- 4Cutting an inspection hole in the drywall to check the subfloor and joists.Did this help you?
- 5Drilling small holes and using a cheap smartphone boroscope camera to look inside the ceiling.Did this help you?
- 6Using a plug-in thermal camera attachment for a smartphone to locate cool spots caused by evaporation.Did this help you?
- 7trying to scrub the surface with bleachDid this help you?
- 8putting a dehumidifier in the area and sealing it off with tape and trash bagsDid this help you?
- 9calling a plumber and hiring professional mold removal companiesDid this help you?
- 10ripping out the damaged cabinets and drywall to replace them entirelyDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I investigated and found mold on the walls and the cabinet. I read that the drywall is basically shot because scrubbing it with bleach will just introduce more liquid. How bad of a spot am I in?”source ↗
“Man, unfortunately I am the homeowner. When I asked my wife about it she said she noticed water down there a couple months ago. But she had her hands full with our kid while I was overseas and forgot to mention it to me”source ↗
“I noticed that the water also spread to the adjacent cabinet. There’s about a centimeter gap between the two of them, they’re not touching. So water has gotten below the cabinets…”source ↗
“The next day the garage ceiling felt dry to the touch. I ran fans over the tile floor for the next 2 days and thought I was good although talking to friends, they suggested there might still be water trapped.”source ↗
“At this point, I'm not sure what to do. I was debating calling a water restoration specialist to confirm, but my concern is that they're incentivized to sell me services even if there isn't an actual issue.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 3Is this mold or a water leak, and do I need to call someone?
- 6Water company says we have a leak but we can't find it
- 48Water keeps getting in the house during heavy rain
- 9Water damage in a brand new construction house
- 30Water dripping from electrical switches behind walls
- 2How to tell if roof hail damage is serious enough to fix