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Water where it does not belong.

Reach for this when you find a stain, damp surface, musty odor, or wet material and nobody knows why.

Treating the first likely source can leave the real one running behind a dry-looking repair.

Run it on a job in ForeBotAll checklists

Step by step

7

  1. Check for danger first

    If water reached electrical equipment, stay out and call emergency services. Sewage or floodwater goes to a remediation professional.

    Write down · Decision

  2. List every possible source

    Consider rain, surface water, groundwater, plumbing, humidity, sewer backup, and construction water. Keep each one open until something excludes it.

    Write down · Note

  3. Map where it shows

    Photograph the wet area, stain edges, and tide marks. Note the weather and whether it tracks rain or plumbing use.

    Write down · Photo

  4. Take readings and know their limit

    Record moisture readings and where they were taken. A meter shows wetness. It does not show where water came from.

    Write down · Reading

  5. Trace how water could travel

    Think gravity, wicking, wind, splash, and ground pressure. Follow the rain, air, and insulation layers at the spot.

    Write down · Note

  6. Test one change at a time

    Try one interim change, such as extending a downspout, and watch through rain. Several changes at once hide what helped.

    Write down · Task

  7. Do not close it wet

    Keep it open until readings at the slowest-drying spots are recorded and one side of the assembly can still dry.

    Write down · Decision
Done when

A finished run leaves the source list, photos, located readings, any test change, and what is still unknown.

General guidance for a qualified person, not a finding about any home. The person on site decides.