Water Spots - How New Are They? - Learn by Taking These Steps
When you have clogged toilets, sinks or bathtubs that overflow, you know that you're in need of water damage repair. Nonetheless, your property can sustain water damage in ways that aren't as obvious. Since you have plumbing running through your house, you can have a leaky pipe or a buildup of condensation between your walls or ceilings. It's a difficult situation since this isn't in sight- you won't know until you have water damage, and then it's hard to identify how long the problem has persisted.
You can check how new or old your water issues are by evaluating the water damage itself since the pipes aren't in sight. Unfortunately, it's hard to find out an exact timeline, but we have some guidance 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.
Tips On Water Damage - Determine its Age
You can get an estimated time frame of the damage produced from water by taking this step-by-step process:
- History of the House: An older property could already have some previous water damage, so it's effective 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, since, if you have a modest leak, it can take months for a water spot to appear. Keeping track of your water spots and damages can save you lots of time when pinpointing whether the damage caused 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 downpour. Water spots can take months to surface if the leak is modest. If your residence is an older house, the water damage spots could have been there for some time. So it's critical to keep track of the spots you notice while determining whether this is new water damage or old water damage.
- Touch the Spot: When the water spot is aged, it will be mushy and soft because during the period of the leaking water, your drywall or ceiling has absorbed a good amount of water. You'll feel wetness with a newer spot but the surface won't be soft like an older spot.
- Look for Rings: You know how rings on a tree presents the age of the tree? The same idea can be used towards water spots. An older water spot is going to have rings around it. They will also be shaded differently because the spot gets saturated then dries and gets saturated again then dries again, etcetera. A newer spot will be darker with zero rings circling it.
- Examine the Materials: Get to know the material in your house, because water can get trapped by thick paint and tiles. So if spots generated by water show up through these types of materials, this means the buildup of moisture has remained for awhile.
- Mold Inspection: When bacteria has had time to settle, this indicates your water damage has been there for about two to three days.
- Rot: Decomposed material indicates that your water damage is either a repeat offender or that it's serious because there's standing water. A first instance of damage caused by water usually won't lead to deterioration.
Water Damage Restoration Contractors - Reach Out to Paul
When you're having water damage problems, Paul Davis' professional team is here to assist you. It's fundamental to fix any dripping pipes on your property before the damage becomes serious. Our water damage repair experts can locate a leak and restore your house back to normal no matter how big or small the job is. Call us today at +1-403-696-8886 and a local franchise is there to assist you.
