Helping to Determine the Age of Water Damage
When you have backed-up toilets, sinks or bathtubs that overflow, it's obvious that you're in need of water damage restoration. Unfortunately, your property can sustain water damage in ways that aren't as obvious. Because you have pipes running all over your home, you can have a leaky pipe or an accumulation of condensation between your ceilings and walls. It's a difficult situation since this isn't in sight- you won't know until you have water damage, and then it's difficult to diagnose how long the problem has lingered.
You can establish how new or old your water issues are by analyzing the water damage itself since the pipes aren't visible. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find out a precise timeline, but we have some tips on how to evaluate the damage so you can come up with an estimated time on how long you've had water in the damaged space.
Discover How Old or New Your Water Damage is with This Guidance
You can learn whether your water damage is old or new by using these tips:
- History of the House: An old property could 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 great idea too, because if you have a small leak, it can take months for a water spot to surface. Taking note of your water spots and damages can save you lots of time when finding out whether the damage generated from water is new or old.
- History of the House: Take note of any spots on your walls or ceilings and take into account any outside influences like a heavy rain storm. Water spots can take months to materialize if the leak is small. If you occupy an older house, the water damage spots could have been there for some time. So it's important to take note of the spots you perceive while figuring out whether this is old water damage or old water damage.
- Touch the Spot: You'll be able to establish whether your water damage is old or new just by touching it. An old spot is going to be spongy since the material has taken in a good amount of water. A new spot is going to be moist, however, the material will feel solid.
- Look for Rings: Having rings around the damaged spot created by water shows its age. Consider it as if it was a tree- the more rings, the older the water damage is. Color variations of the blemish is also helpful because it indicates that the area leaks, dries, gets saturated, dries, etcetera. If it's a brand new water spot, the area will be a single mark with no rings.
- Examine the Materials: Learn about the material in your home, because water and moisture can get trapped by tiles and thick paint. And if water spots show up through these, this indicates the accumulation of water has been there for a period of time.
- Mold Inspection: If mold has had time to inhabit the area, this implies your water damage has lingered for nearly two to three days.
- Deterioration: If your materials rot from damage created by water, this is typically the outcome of repeat flooding or standing water. Rot typically won't happen from the first situation of a leak.
Get Help from a Skillful Water Damage Repair Specialist
If you're having water damage issues, look to Paul Davis. It's vital to fix any dripping pipes on your property prior to the damage becoming more serious. Our water damage restoration experts can detect a leak and fix your home back to normal no matter the size of the job. Call us today at (403)342-4666 and near your area will be there to assist you.
