Determining the Age of Water Damage – Water Damage Restoration
When you have clogged toilets, sinks or bathtubs that flood, it’s obvious that you’re in need of water damage restoration. Still, your home can come under water damage in ways that aren’t as straightforward. Since you have plumbing running throughout your residence, you can have a pipe leaking or an accumulation of condensation between your walls or ceilings. It’s a difficult circumstance since this isn’t visible- you won’t recognize it until you there’s water damage, and then it’s hard to diagnose how long the issue has persisted.
It’s hard to find out how old or new the water damage is for these areas that can’t be seen. Nevertheless, you could have a pipe that’s been slightly leaking for awhile but because it’s been hidden, you don’t have a timeline. There’s no sure way to determine the precise time of the problem, but there are methods to approximate the age of the water damage.
Determine the Lifetime of the Damage Produced by Water
By following the steps listed below, you’ll be able to indicate how new or old 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 a downpour. Damages and spots caused by water can take months to present themselves if it’s a slight leak. If your residence is an older home, the water damage spots may have been there for awhile. So it’s essential to take note of the spots you notice while determining whether this is new water damage or old water damage.
- History of the House: When your residence has any spots caused from water damage, it’s essential to take note of them when finding out whether damage provoked from water is new or old. Also, you’ll want to be conscious of any weather that could bring hidden water damage to the surface such as a rain storm. Know your house, since modest leaks can take months to surface, and if you understand what’s old and what’s new, you’ll be able to diagnose your issue quicker.
- Touch the Spot: Go ahead and touch the spot- this will reveal 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 spongy and squishy since your material would have absorbed a good amount of moisture.
- Look for Rings: Remember how tree rings show how old a tree is? The same approach can be used towards water spots. An old water spot is going to have rings around it. They will also be shaded differently since the area gets wet then dries and gets wet again then dries again, etcetera. A new spot will be dark with no rings circling it.
- Examine the Materials: It’s important to be cognizant of the materials that make up your walls or ceilings, since things such as thick paint or tiles can trap moisture. When this is the situation, even a small water spot can mean the buildup of water has been around for a period of time.
- Mold Inspection: When mold has had time to colonize, this implies that the damage produced by water has lingered for approximately two to three days.
- Decay: When your materials rot from water damage, this is usually the outcome of repeat flooding or standing water. Decay usually won’t occur from the first situation of a leak.
Get a Professional Water Damage Repair Specialist
No matter the amount of the damage produced by water, Paul Davis is here to assist. Our team of skillful water damage repair technicians can fix the issue and have your residence in a great state. Fix the issue now before it gets in a worse condition and reach out to us at 517-676-8000 for a local franchise in your area.
