Water Damage Repair - Find Out the Age of Water Damage

One of the more common issues a property can experience is water damage. As water damage restoration professionals, Paul Davis is aware of the problems that water damage produces, especially when it isn't in sight. Your house has plumbing running throughout it, including the inside of your ceilings and walls. When these pipes have condensation on them or a leak, they can slowly corrode your walls and ceilings. One of the more difficult aspects to this is detecting whether or not the damage caused by water is new or old.

For these areas that aren't visible, it's hard to establish how old or new the damage caused by water is. After all, you could have a leaky pipe that was slightly dripping for awhile but because it's not in plain sight, you don't have a timeline. There's no way to figure out the precise time of the problem, but there are some ways to estimate the age of the water damage.

Evaluate How Old or New the Damage Generated by Water is with These Tips

By practicing the tips listed below, you'll be able to indicate the age of your water damage:

• History of the House: Keep a record of any spots on your ceiling or walls and take into account any outside influences such as a heavy rain storm. Damages and spots caused by water can take some time to come up if the leak is modest. If your residence is an older home, the spots caused by water damage might have been there for awhile. So it's important to take note of the spots you notice while determining whether this is old water damage or old water damage.
• History of the House: An older home 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 overtime. Tracking the weather is a great idea too, since, if you have a a slow leak, it can take awhile for a spot to surface. Taking note of your water damages can save you a lot of hassle when diagnosing whether the damage caused from water is new or old.
• Touch the Spot: You can feel the spot, because this can reveal a lot about the age of the damage caused by water. A newer spot will feel wet but your drywall or ceiling will still feel the same, while an older spot will be spongy and soft since your material would have taken in a fair amount of water.
• Look for Rings: Remember how rings on a tree reveal how old a tree is? The same approach can be used for spots generated by water. An older water spot is going to have rings around it. They can also be shaded differently because the spot gets wet then dries and gets wet again then dries again, etc. A newer spot will be darker with zero rings around it.
• Examine the Materials: Materials such as tiles and thick paint can trap water and moisture, so if you have a spot created by water seeping through one of these, this can indicate there's been water lingering for a period of time. Knowing the materials can help you address your water damage problems more effectively.
• Mold Inspection: If you find that bacteria, or mold, is present, the damage caused by water has lingered for nearly two to three days.
• Decomposition: Your material won't rot by the first situation of damage generated by water. And if there has been rot, this indicates your material has been vulnerable to consistent flooding or standing water.

Get Help from an Experienced Water Damage Repair Specialist

No matter the amount of the damage caused by water, Paul Davis is here to assist. Our team of professional water damage repair contractors can resolve the issue and have your house back in great condition. Remedy the problem now before it gets in a worse condition and contact us at +1-403-696-8886 for a local franchise near you.