Water Damage Restoration - Indicate the Age of Water Spots
When you have backed-up sinks, bathtubs or toilets that overflow, you know that you're in need of water damage restoration. Unfortunately, your residence can come under water damage in ways that aren't as evident. Because you have pipes running through your home, you can have a leaky pipe or an accumulation of condensation between your walls or ceilings. It's an inconvenient situation since this isn't visible- you won't know until you there's water damage, and then it's difficult to identify how long the issue has lingered.
You can detect how new or old your water problems are by evaluating the water damage itself since the pipes aren't visible. Unfortunately, it's difficult to figure out an exact timeline, but we have some guidance on how to analyze the damage so you can come up with an approximate time on how long you've had water in the area.
Figure Out the Time Frame of Your Water Damage
By practicing the tips listed below, you can find out how old or new your water damage:
- History of the House: When your home has any spots caused from water damage, it's essential to keep a record of them when figuring out whether damage generated from water is new or old. In addition, you'll want to be apprehensive of any weather that could bring hidden water damage to the surface such as heavy rain. Know your property, because modest leaks can take months to surface, and if you understand what's old and what's new, you'll be able to pinpoint your issue faster.
- History of the House: An old residence might already have some previous damage produced from water, so it's fundamental to keep a record of what's there and to note if the damage alters over a period of time. Tracking the weather is a good idea as well, because if you have a a slow dripping pipe, 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 pinpointing whether the damage generated from water is new or old.
- Touch the Spot: You'll be able to establish whether your water damage is old or new just by touching it. An old spot will be mushy since the material has taken in a fair amount of moisture. A new spot will be moist, however, the material will feel solid.
- Look for Rings: Outlining rings around the damaged spot produced by water indicates age. Think about it like a tree- the more rings it has, the longer the water damage has been lingering. Discoloration of the stain is useful because it reveals that the area leaks, dries, gets saturated, dries, etcetera. If it's a new spot caused by water, the area will be a single stain with no rings.
- Examine the Materials: It's crucial to know about the materials that make up your walls or ceilings, because things such as thick paint or tiles can trap moisture. When this is the situation, even a water spot that's small can indicate the accumulation of water has been lingering for a while.
- Mold Inspection: If bacteria has had time to settle in, this indicates your water damage has been present for nearly two to three days.
- Decay: Your material won't deteriorate from the first situation of damage caused by water. So if there has been deterioration, this means your material has been vulnerable to constant flooding or standing water.
Get Help from a Professional Water Damage Restoration Specialist
No matter the intensity of your water damage, Paul Davis is here to assist. Our team of expert water damage restoration contractors can fix the issue and have your home in a good state. Fix the issue today before it gets worse and reach out to us at +1-403-696-8886 to find a local franchise near you.
