Water Spots - How Old Are They? - Find Out by Taking These Steps

Restorations for water damage is a common issue for any house, and sometimes the issue is clear and other times it's concealed. Things like flooding sinks, bathtubs or toilets are typical problems related to water damage and you know there is a problem when this occurs. However, pipes run all over your house, and this includes places you can't see like inside the walls and between the floors. Unfortunately a leaky pipe in an unknown location can occur. It's an aggravating obstacle since you can't see what's going on and you won't notice it until the water damage appears.

You can detect how old or new your water problems are by examining the water damage itself since the pipes are concealed. Unfortunately, it's hard to figure out an exact timeline, but we have some tips 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.

Determine How Old or New the Damage Produced by Water is with These Steps

The following steps can help you judge whether the damage produced by water is old or new:

  • History of the House: An old house might already have some previous damage caused from water, so it's critical to keep track of what's there and to note if the damage changes over a period of time. Keeping track of the weather is a great idea too, since, if you have a a slow leak, it can take some time for a spot to appear. Keeping track of your water spots and damages can save you lots of time when diagnosing whether the damage produced from water is old or new.
  • History of the House: An old house might already have some previous damage caused from water, so it's critical to keep track of what's there and to note if the damage changes over a period of time. Keeping track of the weather is a great idea too, since, if you have a a slow leak, it can take some time for a spot to appear. Keeping track of your water spots and damages can save you lots of time when diagnosing whether the damage produced from water is old or new.
  • Touch the Spot: Go ahead and touch the spot, because this will reveal a lot about the age of the damage produced by water. A new spot will feel wet but your ceiling or drywall will still feel strong, while an old spot will be mushy and soft because your material would have taken in a good amount of water.
  • Look for Rings: When you see just one dark spot with no rings around it, this shows that the damage produced by water is new. Old damage produced by water usually has rings around it, and just like a tree, the more rings indicates the age. Discolored rings reveals that the area has been saturated, dried, saturated, dried, etc.
  • Examine the Materials: Materials like tiles and thick paint can trap water, so when you have a water spot seeping through one of these, this can mean there's been a buildup of water for a period of time. Knowing the materials can help you focus on your water damage problems more effectively.
  • Mold Inspection: When bacteria has had time to colonize, this means the damage produced by water has been present for about two to three days.
  • Deterioration: Your material won't decompose from the first occurrence of water damage. So when there has been decomposition, this indicates your material has been vulnerable to repeated standing water or flooding.

Get in Touch with Paul - Your Skillful Water Damage Restoration Contractors

When you're having complications with damages that are generated by water, look to Paul Davis. It's fundamental to fix any leaks on your property before the damage becomes serious. Our water damage restoration experts can find dripping pipes and fix your house back to normal no matter how big or small the job is. Contact us today at +1-403-696-8886 and franchise near your area is there to help out.