Water Damage - How Old is it? - Find Out by Following These Tips
Restorations for water damage is a common issue for any home, and sometimes the issue is apparent and other times it's ambiguous. Things like overflowing sinks, bathtubs or toilets are common issues connected to water damage and you know there is a problem when this happens. But pipes run all over your property, and this involves areas you can't see such as inside the walls and between the floors. Unfortunately a leaky pipe in a concealed location can occur. It's a frustrating problem since you can't see what's going on and you won't notice it before the water damage appears.
It's difficult to verify how old or new the water damage is for these spaces that can't be seen. Though, you could have a leaky pipe that was slightly dripping for awhile but because it's not in plain sight, you don't have a timeline. There's no way to indicate the precise time of the problem, but there are methods to approximate the age of the water damage.
Find Out the Lifetime of Your Water Damage
You can get an approximate time frame of the damage induced from water by following this step-by-step process:
- History of the House: Keep track of any spots on your ceiling or walls and take into account any outside influences such as a downpour. Water spots can take awhile to come up if the leak is modest. If you reside in an older home, the water damage spots may have been there for awhile. So it's critical to take note of the spots you observe while indicating whether this is new water damage or old water damage.
- History of the House: An old property may already have some previous water damage, so it's essential 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 as well, since, if you have a modest leak, it can take some time for a water spot to surface. Keeping track of your water spots and damages can save you lots of time when determining whether the damage generated from water is old or new.
- Touch the Spot: You can feel the spot, because this will disclose a lot about the age of the water damage. A newer spot will be wet but your ceiling or drywall will still be durable, while an older spot will be spongy and soft since your material would have absorbed a good amount of moisture.
- Look for Rings: When you see just one darker spot with no rings around it, this shows that the water damage is new. Older water damage usually has rings around it, and just like a tree, the more rings shows the age. Different shades and colors of rings shows you that the spot has been saturated, dried, saturated, dried, etc.
- Examine the Materials: Materials such as tiles and thick paint can trap water, so if you have a spot created by water seeping through one of these, this can indicate there's been water lingering for a period of time. Knowing the materials can help you focus on your water damage issues more efficiently.
- Mold Inspection: If you find that bacteria is present, the damage generated by water has been present for nearly two to three days.
- Decomposition: When your materials decompose from water damage, this is typically the consequence of repeat flooding or standing water. Decomposition typically doesn't occur from the first instance of leakage.
Eliminate Damage Generated by Water & Call Paul Davis
If you're having water damage problems, look no further than Paul Davis. It's critical to take care of any leaks in your residence before the damage becomes extensive. Our water damage repair professionals can find dripping pipes and repair your home back to normal conditions no matter the size of the job. Contact us now at (403)342-4666 and franchise near your area will be there to assist you.
