Follow These Steps to Find Out the Age of Water Damage
One of the more persistent issues a house can experience is water damage. As water damage restoration professionals, Paul Davis recognize the issues that water damage causes, especially when it can't be seen. Your residence has pipes running throughout it, this includes the inside of your walls and ceilings. If these pipes leak or have condensation on them, they can slowly corrode your walls and ceilings. One of the more hard parts to this is detecting whether the damage caused by water is old or new.
However, when you recognize damage to your walls or water spots on your ceiling, these are flags indicating a pipe that's leaking or condensation causing a issue. Since the space is concealed, though, it's hard to verify how long the problem has lasted. Even though there isn't a way to know precisely how long your water damage issue has persisted, there are some ways to indicate whether the water damage is old or new.
Discover How Old the Damage Produced by Water is with These Steps
You can get an estimated age of the damage induced from water by following this step-by-step process:
- History of the House: If your house has any spots from water damage, it's essential to take note of them when figuring out whether your water damage is old or new. Furthermore, you'll want to be observant of any storms that could bring hidden water damage to the surface like heavy rain. Know your house, since pipes with a slow drip can take months to appear, and if you know what's old and what's new, you'll be able to pinpoint your problem faster.
- History of the House: An old property could already have some previous water damage, so it's critical to keep track of what's there and to note if the damage alters overtime. Tracking the weather is a good idea as well, since, if you have a a slow leak, it can take some time for a spot to appear. Taking note of your water spots and damages can save you lots of time when figuring out whether the damage generated from water is old or new.
- Touch the Spot: If the water spot is aged, it will be soft and mushy since during the period of the leaking water, your ceiling or drywall has taken in a good amount of water. A new spot will feel wet but the area won't be soft to the touch.
- Look for Rings: Remember how rings on a tree indicate the age of the tree? The same method can be used towards spots produced by water. An older water spot will have rings around it. They will also be discolored since the area gets wet then dries and gets wet again then dries again, etc. A newer spot will be darker with zero rings circling it.
- Examine the Materials: It's critical to be aware of the materials that make up your ceiling or walls, since things such as tiles or thick paint can 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 typically means your water damage has been there for nearly two to three days.
- Rot: If your materials deteriorate from water damage, this is typically the issue of consistent flooding or standing water. Rot typically won't occur from the first case of leakage.
Contact Paul - Your Skillful Water Damage Restoration Specialists
No matter the extent of your water damage, Paul Davis is here to help. Our team of expert water damage repair technicians can resolve the problem and have your house in a good state. Remedy the issue now before it gets in a worse condition and contact us at (403)342-4666 for a local franchise near you.
