Professional Water Damage Repair Guide - How Old Are Your Water Spots?

One of the more common problems a home can sustain is water damage. As water damage repair experts, Paul Davis recognize the complications that water damage produces, especially when it isn't in sight. Your home has pipes everywhere, including the inside of your walls and ceilings. When these pipes have condensation on them or a leak, they can slowly wear out your walls and ceilings. One of the more frustrating parts to this is checking whether the damage caused by water is old or new.

It's hard to check how old or new the the damage produced by water is for these spaces that aren't visible. Though, you could have a leaky pipe that was slightly dripping for awhile but because it's not in plain sight, you don't know how long. There's no sure way to indicate the precise time of the problem, but there are methods to estimate the age of the water damage.

Discover the Lifetime of Your Water Damage

You can obtain an approximate age of your water damage by following these steps:

  • History of the House: An old property might already have some previous water damage, so it's important to keep a record of what's there and to note if the damage changes over a period of time. Keeping track of the weather is a good idea as well, since, if you have a a slow dripping pipe, it can take awhile for a water spot to appear. Keeping track of your water spots and damages can save you a lot of hassle when determining whether your water damage is old or new.
  • History of the House: If your house has any spots caused from water damage, it's essential to take note of them when finding out whether your water damage is old or new. Additionally, you'll want to be cognizant of any storms that could bring hidden water damage to the surface such as heavy rain. Know your home, because smaller leaks can take some time to appear, and if you know what's new and what's old, you'll be able to identify your issue quicker.
  • Touch the Spot: You can feel the spot- this can reveal a lot about the age of the damage produced by water. A newer spot will be wet but your drywall or ceiling will still be durable, while an older spot will be mushy and spongy because your material would have taken in a good amount of moisture.
  • Look for Rings: If you see just a darker spot with zero rings around it, this indicates that the damage produced by water is new. Older damage produced by water usually has rings around it, and like trees, the more rings indicates the age. Discolored rings reveals that the spot has been drenched, dried, drenched, dried, etc.
  • Examine the Materials: Learn about the material around your home, because water and moisture can get trapped by thick paint and tiles. So if spots generated by water show up through these types of materials, this indicates the buildup of moisture has remained for awhile.
  • Mold Inspection: Bacteria growth usually means that your water damage has been there for about two to three days.
  • Decomposition: If your materials rot from damage created by water, this is normally the outcome of consistent flooding or standing water. Decomposition normally doesn't happen from the first situation of a leak.

Eliminate Damage Caused from Water & Call Paul Davis

The amount of your water damage doesn't matter, Paul Davis is here to help out. Our team of professional water damage restoration technicians can resolve the issue and have your house back in good condition. Remedy the issue now before it gets worse and contact us at +1-403-696-8886 to find a local franchise in your area.