Water Damage Restoration - Determine the Age of Water Damage

One of the more typical problems a property can experience is water damage. As water damage repair experts, Paul Davis knows the issues that water damage produces, especially when it can't be seen. Your house has pipes running throughout it, this includes the inside of your ceilings and walls. If these pipes have condensation on them or a leak, they can slowly corrode your ceiling or walls. One of the more difficult aspects to this is detecting whether the damage caused by water is new or old.

You can discover how new or old your water issues are by examining the water damage itself since the pipes are concealed. Unfortunately, it's hard to figure out a precise timeline, but we have some tips on how to examine the damage so you can come up with an estimated time on how long you've had water in the damaged space.

Determine the Age of the Damage Produced by Water

By practicing the tips listed below, you'll be able to indicate the age of the damage induced by water:

  • History of the House: Keep a record of any spots on your walls or ceilings and take into account any strong weather you had in your location such as a downpour. Damages and spots caused by water can take some time to come up if it's a slight leak. If you occupy an older home, the spots produced by water damage may have been there for some time. So it's fundamental to take note of the spots you see while figuring out whether this is old water damage or old water damage.
  • History of the House: Keep a record of any spots on your walls or ceilings and take into account any strong weather you had in your location such as a downpour. Damages and spots caused by water can take some time to come up if it's a slight leak. If your residence is an older home, the spots produced by water damage may have been there for some time. So it's fundamental to take note of the spots you see while figuring out whether this is new water damage or old water damage.
  • Touch the Spot: You can touch the spot- this can disclose a lot about the age of the water damage. A new spot will feel wet but your drywall or ceiling will still feel durable, while an old spot will be spongy and soft because your material would have taken in a fair amount of water.
  • Look for Rings: You know how tree rings indicate how old a tree is? The same idea can be used for water spots. An old water spot will have rings around it. They can also be shaded differently because the area gets soaked then dries and gets soaked again then dries again, etcetera. A new spot will be dark with no rings around it.
  • Examine the Materials: Learn about the material around your property, because water can become trapped by tiles and thick paint. And if water spots show up through these, this means the buildup of water has remained for a period of time.
  • Mold Inspection: If bacteria has had time to settle, this means your water damage has lingered for about two to three days.
  • Decay: When your materials decompose from damage caused by water, this is typically the consequence of repeat flooding or standing water. Deterioration typically doesn't occur from the first case of leakage.

Get a Professional Water Damage Restoration Specialist

No matter the degree of your water damage, Paul Davis is here to help. Our team of professional water damage restoration contractors can resolve the issue and have your home in a great state. Remedy the issue today before it gets worse and get in touch with us at (403)342-4666 to find a local franchise in your location.