Determining the Age of Water Damage - Water Damage Restoration

A natural complication that a lot of properties face is some form of water damage. As water damage restoration professionals, Paul Davis recognize the issues that water damage leads to, especially when it can't be seen. Your home has pipes running throughout it, this includes the inside of your walls and ceilings. If these pipes have condensation on them or a leak, they can gradually deteriorate your ceiling or walls. One of the more difficult parts to this is detecting whether the water damage is old or new.

Since the pipes can't be seen, you can get an estimate of how long you've had water complications by evaluating the water damage itself. 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 damaged space.

Tips On Damage Induced by Water - Establish its Age

You can make a judgement on whether your water damage is new or old by using these tips:

• History of the House: When your home has any spots caused from water damage, it's essential to take note of them when determining whether damage caused from water is old or new. In addition, you'll want to be conscious of any weather that could bring hidden water damage to the surface such as heavy rain. Know your property, because smaller leaks can take awhile to appear, and if you know what's new and what's old, you'll be able to pinpoint your problem faster.
• History of the House: Take note of any spots on your walls or ceilings and take into account any outside influences like a heavy rain storm. Water spots and damages can take awhile to pop up if the leak is small. If your residence is an older house, the spots produced by water damage may have been there for awhile. So it's essential to take note of the spots you perceive while finding out whether this is old water damage or old water damage.
• Touch the Spot: When the water spot is old, it will be spongy and soft because during the period of the leaking water, your drywall or ceiling has absorbed a good amount of water. You'll feel moisture with a newer spot but the surface won't be soft like an older spot.
• Look for Rings: When you see just a darker spot with no rings around it, this shows that the damage produced by water is new. Older damage produced by water will have rings around it, and like trees, the more rings shows the age. Different colored and shades of rings exhibits that the area has been soaked, dried, soaked, dried, etc.
• Examine the Materials: It's vital to be cognizant of the materials that comprise your walls or ceilings, because things like tiles or thick paint can actually trap moisture. When this is the circumstance, even a water spot that's small can indicate the buildup of water has been lingering for a while.
• Mold Inspection: Bacteria, or mold, growth normally means your water damage has lingered for approximately two to three days.
• Rot: When your materials decompose from water damage, this is usually the consequence of consistent flooding or standing water. Rot usually doesn't happen from the first situation of a leak.

Get an Expert Water Damage Restoration Contractor

If you're having water damage complications, look no further than Paul Davis. It's crucial to remedy any dripping pipes on your property before the damage becomes extensive. Our water damage restoration experts can locate dripping pipes and repair your property back to normal conditions no matter the size of the job. Call Paul today at +1-403-696-8886 and a local franchise is there to help out.