How to Detect if Water Damage is Old or New

One of the more typical issues a house can experience is water damage. As water damage repair experts, Paul Davis knows the problems that water damage generates, especially when it can't be seen. Your residence has pipes running throughout it, including the inside of your ceilings and walls. If these pipes have condensation on them or a leak, they can begin to erode your ceiling or walls. One of the more frustrating situations to this is verifying whether or not the water damage is new or old.

It's challenging to check how old or new the the damage produced by water is for these areas that aren't visible. Nevertheless, you could have a pipe that's been slightly leaking for awhile but because it's been concealed, you don't know how long. There's no way to find out the precise time of the problem, but there are methods to estimate the age of the water damage.

Discover How Old Your Water Damage is with These Steps

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

  • History of the House: An older house may already have some previous water damage, so it's fundamental to keep track of what's there and to note if the damage alters over a period of time. Keeping track of the weather is a good idea too, because if you have a modest leak, it can take awhile for a spot to appear. Taking note of your water damages can save you lots of time when figuring out whether the damage produced from water is new or old.
  • History of the House: An older house may already have some previous water damage, so it's fundamental to keep track of what's there and to note if the damage alters over a period of time. Keeping track of the weather is a good idea too, because if you have a modest leak, it can take awhile for a spot to appear. Taking note of your water damages can save you lots of time when figuring out whether the damage produced from water is new or old.
  • Touch the Spot: If the water spot is old, it will be soft and spongy because during the period of the leaking water, your drywall or ceiling has absorbed a good amount of water. You'll feel wetness with a new spot but the area won't be soft to the touch.
  • Look for Rings: Remember how rings on a tree determine the age of the tree? The same idea can be used towards water spots. An old water spot is going to have rings around it. They can also be shaded differently because the spot gets saturated then dries and gets saturated again then dries again, etc. A new spot will be dark with zero rings circling it.
  • Examine the Materials: It's fundamental to know about the materials that make up your ceiling or walls, because things like thick paint or tiles can actually trap the water. If this is the circumstance, even a water spot that's small can mean the buildup of water has been lingering for a while.
  • Mold Inspection: Bacteria, or mold, development normally implies your water damage has lingered for approximately two to three days.
  • Decay: Your material doesn't usually rot from the first case of water damage. And if there has been decay, this means your material has been exposed to consistent standing water or flooding.

Reach out to Paul Davis - Your Experienced Water Damage Repair Technicians

The amount of your water damage doesn't matter, Paul Davis is here to assist. Our team of experienced water damage repair contractors can fix the problem and have your house back in good condition. Remedy the problem today before it gets worse and get in touch with us at (403)342-4666 to find a local franchise near your area.