Professional Water Damage Repair Help - How Old Are Your Water Spots?

A natural problem that a lot of properties deal with is some form of damage caused by water. As water damage repair professionals, Paul Davis knows the issues that water damage generates, especially when it isn't in sight. Your home has pipes running throughout it, this includes the inside of your ceilings and walls. If these pipes leak or have condensation on them, they can gradually deteriorate your walls and ceilings. One of the more frustrating situations to this is finding out whether or not the damage caused by water is old or new.

For these spaces that aren't visible, it's complicated to find out how old or new the water damage is. After all, you could have a leaky pipe that was slightly dripping for awhile but because it's been hidden, you don't have a timeline. There's no sure way to check exactly how long the problem has persisted, but there are methods to estimate the age of the water damage.

Determine How Old the Damage Caused by Water is with These Tips

By taking the steps listed below, you'll be able to indicate the age 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 some time to materialize if the leak is small. If you live in an older house, the spots produced by water damage may have been there for some time. So it's essential to keep a record of the spots you see while figuring out whether this is new water damage or old water damage.
  • History of the House: Keep a record of any spots on your walls or ceilings and take into account any outside influences such as heavy rain. Water spots can take some time to materialize if the leak is small. If you occupy an older house, the spots produced by water damage may have been there for some time. So it's essential to keep a record of the spots you see while figuring out whether this is new water damage or old water damage.
  • Touch the Spot: You can touch the spot- this can disclose a lot about the age of the water damage. A new spot will feel wet but your ceiling or drywall will still feel strong, while an old spot will be mushy and squishy because your material would have absorbed a fair amount of moisture.
  • Look for Rings: Having rings around your water damage spot indicates age. Think about it like a tree- the more rings it has, the longer the water damage has been around. Color variations of the spot is also helpful since it reveals that the area gets soaked, dries, gets saturated, dries, etc. If it's a brand new water spot, the area will be a single blemish with no rings around it.
  • Examine the Materials: Get to know the material in your property, since water can get trapped by thick paint and tiles. And if spots generated by water show up through these types of materials, this means the accumulation of moisture has remained for a period of time.
  • Mold Inspection: If you see that bacteria is there, the damage produced by water has lingered for about two to three days.
  • Decomposition: Your material won't deteriorate from the first occurrence of damage caused by water. And when there has been decay, this means your material has been vulnerable to persistent standing water or flooding.

Dispose of Water Damage & Call Paul

For all your water damage repair needs, reach out to Paul Davis. If there's a leak that you can't identify, it's fundamental 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, call us at (403)342-4666 and we'll get an expert to come help you out.