Pro Water Damage Repair Advice

When you have backed-up sinks, bathtubs or toilets that overflow, it's obvious that water damage repairs will be needed. Though, your house can sustain water damage in ways that aren't as noticeable. Since you have pipes running all over your home, you can have a pipe leaking or an accumulation of condensation between your walls or ceilings. It's a difficult incident since this isn't visible- you won't notice it until you have water damage, and then it's difficult to define how long the problem has lingered.

For these areas that aren't visible, it's challenging to check how old or new the water damage is. After all, you could have a leaky pipe that was slightly dripping for a period of time but because it's not in plain sight, you don't have a timeline. There's no sure way to figure out exactly how long the problem has persisted, but there are ways to estimate the age of the water damage.

Discover the Lifetime of Your Water Damage

Below are some tips you can follow in order to figure out the time frame of your water damage:

  • History of the House: Take note of any spots on your walls or ceilings and take into account any outside influences such as heavy rain. Water spots can take months to pop up if the leak is modest. If your residence is an older home, the water damage spots may have been there for awhile. So it's essential to keep track of the spots you perceive while figuring out whether this is new water damage or old water damage.
  • History of the House: Take note of any spots on your walls or ceilings and take into account any outside influences such as heavy rain. Water spots can take months to pop up if the leak is modest. If your residence is an older home, the water damage spots may have been there for awhile. So it's essential to keep track of the spots you perceive while figuring out whether this is new water damage or old water damage.
  • Touch the Spot: You'll be able to determine whether your water damage is new or old just by touching it. An older spot will be squishy since the material has absorbed a fair amount of water. A newer spot will be moist, but the material will have a solid feel to it.
  • Look for Rings: Outlining rings around the damaged spot generated by water reveals its age. Think about it like a tree- the more rings it has, the longer the water damage has been present. Different shadings of the blemish is also helpful since it reveals that the area gets soaked, dries, gets saturated, dries, etcetera. If it's a brand new spot damaged by water, the area will be a single mark with no rings around it.
  • Examine the Materials: It's crucial to know about the materials that comprise your walls or ceilings, since things such as tiles or thick paint can trap the water. When this is the case, even a small water spot can indicate the accumulation of water has been lingering for a period of time.
  • Mold Inspection: Bacteria, or mold, development usually indicates that your water damage has lingered for approximately two to three days.
  • Deterioration: Your material won't deteriorate by the first instance of water damage. So when there has been deterioration, this means your material has been susceptible to consistent standing water or flooding.

Call Paul - Your Experienced Water Damage Repair Contractors

For all your water damage repair needs, reach out to Paul Davis. If there's a leak that you can't identify, it's essential to get in touch with an expert. Paul Davis' professional team has the experience and response time required to maintain your home. To find a local franchise near your location, reach out to us at (403)342-4666 and we'll get a professional for your assistance.