Water Damage - How Old is it? - Discover by Following These Steps

A natural issue that a lot of houses deal with is some form of water damage. As water damage repair experts, Paul Davis recognize the complications that water damage generates, especially when it can't be seen. Your home has pipes everywhere, including the inside of your walls and ceilings. When these pipes have condensation on them or a leak, they can gradually corrode your ceiling or walls. One of the more hard situations to this is checking whether or not the water damage is new or old.

Yet, when you recognize water spots on your ceiling or damage to your walls, these are flags indicating a pipe that's leaking or condensation causing a issue. Since the space is unseen, though, it's tough to verify how long the issue has lasted. Even though there isn't an approach to find out precisely how long your water damage issue has lingered, there are some ways to diagnose whether the water damage is new or old.

Figure Out the Age of the Damage Caused by Water

Listed below are step-by-steps you can follow in order to determine the time frame of your water damage:

  • History of the House: When your house has any water spots, it's important to keep a record of them when finding out whether damage caused from water is new or old. Additionally, you'll want to be observant of any storms that could bring hidden water damage to the surface such as heavy rain. Know your house, since smaller leaks can take awhile to surface, and if you understand what's new and what's old, you'll be able to identify your issue quicker.
  • History of the House: When your house has any water spots, it's important to keep a record of them when finding out whether damage caused from water is new or old. Additionally, you'll want to be observant of any storms that could bring hidden water damage to the surface such as heavy rain. Know your house, since smaller leaks can take awhile to surface, and if you understand what's new and what's old, you'll be able to identify your issue quicker.
  • Touch the Spot: You'll be able to establish whether your water damage is old or new just by touching it. An older spot will be spongy because the material has absorbed a lot of moisture. A newer spot will be moist, but the material will feel solid.
  • Look for Rings: Having rings around your water damage spot shows age. Remember it like a tree- the more rings, the older the water damage is. Color variations of the stain is useful since it reveals that the area leaks, dries, leaks, dries, etcetera. If it's a new water spot, the area will be a single mark with no rings.
  • Examine the Materials: Get to know the material in your house, since water and moisture can get trapped by tiles and thick paint. And if water spots show up through these types of materials, this means the buildup of water has remained for awhile.
  • Mold Inspection: If you see that bacteria, or mold, is there, your water damage has been present for nearly two to three days.
  • Deterioration: Your material doesn't typically rot by the first situation of water damage. So if there has been deterioration, this means your material has been susceptible to consistent flooding or standing water.

Water Damage Repair Contractors - Contact Paul Davis Today

For all your water damage repair emergencies, contact Paul Davis. When there's a pipe dripping that you can't identify, it's important to call an expert. Paul Davis' professional team has the know-how and response time required to maintain your house. To find a local franchise near your location, give us a call at (403)342-4666 and we'll get an expert for your assistance.