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Termite Prevention and Moisture Repairs in Lafayette, LA

A check for the water problems that wet the soil and wood at a house, and a plan to fix or refer each one, from outdoor faucets to roof and pipe leaks.

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Moisture Repairs

Termite Prevention and Moisture Repairs: what it covers

Quick answer

Water is one of the conditions termites depend on, and the LSU AgCenter advises fixing outdoor faucet drips and roof or pipe leaks as part of prevention. A moisture prevention check finds the wet spots at the foundation and the structure, records them and sorts them into repairs the homeowner can make and repairs a qualified trade should make.

Termite Prevention and Moisture Repairs illustration for Lafayette, LA, with a red barn in the background

Termite prevention is usually described as a list of things to remove, but water is the item that is easiest to miss. A dripping outdoor spigot, a gutter that overflows at one corner, a roof leak that runs down a wall cavity and a pipe that weeps under a slab all keep a patch of soil or wood damp for months. A patch that is damp for months is the condition termites look for.

The AgCenter prevention advice is short: fix outdoor faucet drips and roof or pipe leaks. It sounds simple, and the homeowner can do some of it without help. The harder part is finding the leaks that are not visible, such as a pipe behind a wall or a roof valley that feeds water into a crawl space, and knowing which repairs are for the homeowner and which belong to a plumber or roofer.

This service is a prevention check. It finds where water is reaching the foundation and the wood, and it is written up as a list of repairs with an owner and an order. The check does not fix plumbing or roofing itself, and it says so plainly.

Service area
Lafayette & Lafayette Parish
Availability
Phones answered 24/7
Warning signs

Signs you need termite prevention and moisture repairs

Do not open a wall, a ceiling or a slab to look for a leak without a plan, because a hidden pipe or wire can be damaged. Turn off the water at the nearest valve before working on a spigot or a line, and keep the power off before working near a wet electrical fitting. A crawl space with standing water needs the same care as any other confined space.

  • A soft patch of ground beside the outdoor faucet, even on a dry week
  • A downspout that discharges at the foundation or into the bed beside it
  • A stain on a ceiling or a wall corner after heavy rain
  • A damp crawl space floor, or a musty smell under the house
  • Green or dark growth on the wall at the soil line
Our process

How our termite prevention and moisture repairs visit works

  1. Walk the outside water sources

    Each outdoor spigot, hose connection, downspout, gutter and air conditioner drain is checked for drips, overflow and discharge close to the foundation. The soil at each point is tested by feel and noted.

  2. Check the roof edges and the gutters

    Where access is safe, the roof valleys, flashing and gutter ends are looked at for leaks and for water running down a wall. Anything that needs a roofer is noted with the spot on the house.

  3. Read the crawl space or slab edge

    Moisture readings are taken on the wood and the floor of the crawl space or at the slab edge. A reading that stays high after a dry spell points to a leak or to poor drainage rather than to rain alone.

  4. Find pipe leaks with the least disruption

    Pipe leaks are the hardest to see. Signs such as a warm floor, a sound of running water in a wall, or a moisture pattern that follows a pipe run are used to narrow the search, and any opening is kept to the smallest size the repair needs.

  5. Sort the repairs and set the order

    Each item is marked as a homeowner job, a plumbing job or a roofing job, and ranked by how much it wets the foundation. The list goes to the owner in writing, with photographs and readings.

Why does water matter so much to termites?

Termites need moisture to survive, and a patch of soil or wood that stays wet gives them a place to forage and a route to the structure. Dry soil and dry wood are much less useful to a colony.

Subterranean termites lose body moisture quickly in dry air, and they tend to stay in soil and wood that holds water. Wet wood is easier to work, and a damp patch of soil at the foundation gives workers a route they can keep open. That is the reason the AgCenter names leaks and drips as things to fix.

The effect is cumulative. A single rain does little. A spigot that drips for a season, a downspout that empties into one bed, or a crawl space floor that never dries can keep a small area wet long enough to matter, and that is the condition prevention is aimed at.

Water also changes what the wood looks like. Wood that stays wet can soften, stain and invite fungi, and that softened wood is easier to probe and to mistake for damage that has already occurred. A moisture check makes the difference between a sound sill and one that needs replacing.

What can the homeowner fix without a trade?

Shut off or repair a dripping spigot, extend a downspout away from the foundation, regrade the soil that slopes toward the house and clear gutters. These are ordinary jobs that most owners can do, or ask a handyman to do, and they make a large difference.

A dripping outdoor spigot is the most common and the easiest. A new washer or a shut-off valve stops the drip, and the soil under the spigot can be left to dry. If the spigot is old, replacing it is a small and cheap job compared with the damage a wet soil patch can cause at the foundation.

Downspouts should carry water away from the wall. A downspout that ends at the foundation or in a bed against the house keeps the soil wet at the spot where a colony would start. An extension that moves the water several feet away from the wall, on ground that drains away from the house, solves much of the problem.

Grading is the slower job. Soil that slopes toward the house holds water at the foundation, and bringing the soil back to a slope that drains away is a useful project. Keep mulch back from the wall as part of the same work, since mulch that holds water against the wall keeps the soil line damp.

Which repairs belong to a plumber or a roofer?

A leak inside a wall, under a slab or in a roof valley is for a plumber or a roofer, and the homeowner should not open walls or roofs without one. The check finds the likely place and records the evidence so the repair can be aimed correctly.

A pipe leak in a slab or a wall is a repair with a cost and a disruption, and it should be made by someone qualified to do it. The prevention check can help by finding where the water is likely to be, using warm floors, the sound of running water and moisture patterns, but it should not open the floor or the wall itself without a plan.

A roof leak needs the roof checked, and the check should record the wall or ceiling where the stain shows and the likely path of the water. Roof repairs are often done after heavy rain, when the leak is easiest to find, so the owner should photograph any stain as it appears.

Ask who will do each repair, and whether that person is qualified for the work in Louisiana. The check is not a substitute for that, and it should not be read as confirmation that any repair has been made correctly.

How do you check that a moisture problem is fixed?

Take readings before and after the repair, watch the same spots over a few weeks, and look again after the next heavy rain. A fix that stops the drip but leaves the soil wet is not complete.

A moisture reading is a number taken at a specific spot, and it is the most useful record for a before-and-after check. The same spot should be read each time, at the same depth, so the readings can be compared. A repair that lowers the reading is working, and one that does not is still a problem.

The soil and the wood take time to dry out. A spigot that was fixed last week may still show damp soil beneath it, and the reading will fall over several dry days. The check should set a date for the next reading so the drying can be followed.

The heaviest test is a long rain. After a storm, look at the soil at the foundation and the crawl space floor. If water is pooling where it did not before, or if a new damp patch has appeared, the repair has not solved the problem and the check should be repeated.

What should be on a written prevention list?

A useful list says where the water is, what is causing it, who is responsible for the fix and how the result will be checked. It is short enough to act on and specific enough to hold someone to.

Each entry should name a location on the house, the cause, the evidence and the owner of the repair. A line reading 'spigot at the back corner drips into a bed against the wall' is specific. A line reading 'some moisture issues' is not.

The list should separate what can be done now from what must wait. A dripping spigot can be fixed this week, while a slab leak may need a plumber and a plan for the repair and the drying. The order matters, because the fastest wins are often the ones that stop the soil staying wet.

Keep the list with the house papers and update it after each repair. A dated list of what was fixed and what remains is what a future inspector or buyer will ask for, and it is the homeowner's own record.

Options

Types and options for termite prevention and moisture repairs

Outdoor water and grading

Spigots, downspouts and a grade that slopes toward the house are the most common and easiest to fix. The owner can often redirect a downspout and shut off a dripping spigot the same day.

Roof and gutter leaks

A roof leak that runs into a wall cavity can wet the framing and the sill for a long time before it shows inside. Those repairs belong to a roofer, and the check records the spot and the evidence for them.

Pipe leaks under or behind the house

A slow pipe leak in a slab, a wall or a crawl space can keep the soil wet at one spot for years. These repairs belong to a plumber, and the check should say where the water is most likely to be before the plumber opens anything.

Lafayette Parish

Why termite prevention and moisture repairs is different in Acadiana

LSU AgCenter prevention advice in Lafayette Parish names outdoor faucet drips and roof or pipe leaks as things to fix, so the check is built around those three sources.

Louisiana humidity is not a sourced claim for this site, so the check reads moisture from the house and not from the weather alone.

Owner-occupied housing is 65.5 percent of the parish, so most of these repairs are decided by the person who lives in the house.

One call and it gets handled.

Tell us when you need someone and we book the earliest visit a termite prevention and moisture repairs technician has, and you approve the price before any work starts.

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Where we work

Termite Prevention and Moisture Repairs across Lafayette Parish

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Related

Foundation Clearance Review

A walk around the foundation to find the wood, cardboard, cellulose and mulch that sit against the house and give termites cover, with a plan to clear them.

Subterranean Termite Inspection

A written inspection of a house and its foundation for subterranean termites, covering the structure, the soil edge, the crawl space and the yard.

Liquid Termite Soil Treatment

A liquid termiticide barrier placed in the soil around the foundation, where termites cross from the ground into the structure.

Termite Damage Assessment

A written assessment of termite damage in the structure, with the extent of the damage, the wood affected and the report a repair or an insurer may need.

Guides

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FAQ

Termite Prevention and Moisture Repairs FAQs

Is a dripping outdoor spigot really a termite problem?

It can be. A drip that keeps the soil at the foundation wet creates the damp conditions termites depend on. The AgCenter advises fixing outdoor faucet drips as part of prevention, and it is one of the cheapest fixes on the list.

Can you fix the leak for me?

The check finds and records the leaks and sorts them into owner jobs and trade jobs. A plumber or roofer does the repairs that involve walls, slabs or roofs, and the list says who does what.

Should I regrade the yard before or after the check?

Ask for the check first. Regrading can change where water runs, and the check can show which way it should go. Regrading that sends water toward the house is the thing to avoid.

How soon will the soil dry after a fix?

It depends on the soil, the weather and how wet the spot was. The readings should be repeated over several dry days, and the check should set the date for the next one.

Does a moisture reading prove termites are present?

No. A reading shows that conditions suit termites. Only an inspection that finds the insects, tubes or damage can show that a colony is present, and the two should be read separately.

Is there a charge for the check?

Calling is free. Any charge is agreed in writing before the check starts, and no figure is given on this site or over the phone before that.

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