Approaches to Detect if Your Water Damage is New or Old

A common problem that a lot of homes deal with is some form of damage caused by water. As water damage repair experts, Paul Davis recognize the problems that water damage leads to, especially when it isn't in sight. Your home has plumbing everywhere, this includes the inside of your walls and ceilings. If these pipes have condensation on them or a leak, they can begin to erode your walls and ceilings. One of the more hard situations to this is finding out whether or not the damage caused by water is new or old.

For these spaces that can't be seen, it's hard to verify how old or new the damage produced 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 know how long. There's no sure way to check the precise time of the problem, but there are some methods to approximate the age of the water damage.

Find Out the Time Frame of the Damage Caused by Water

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

• History of the House: Take note of any spots on your ceiling or walls and take into account any outside influences such as a downpour. Damages and spots caused by water can take awhile to pop up if the leak is small. If you reside in an older home, the water damage spots might have been there for some time. So it's critical to keep a record of the spots you observe while indicating whether this is old water damage or old water damage.
• History of the House: An old residence might already have some previous water damage, so it's essential to keep a record of what's there and to note if the damage alters overtime. Keeping track of the weather is a good idea too, since, if you have a a slow leak, it can take awhile for a spot to appear. Keeping track of your water damages can save you lots of time when diagnosing whether the damage produced from water is new or old.
• Touch the Spot: If the water spot is aged, it will be spongy and soft since during the time of the water leak, your drywall or ceiling has absorbed a good amount of water. A new spot will feel wet but it won't be soft to the touch.
• Look for Rings: Remember how rings on a tree indicate how old a tree is? The same idea can be used towards spots generated by water. An old water spot is going to have rings around it. They can also be shaded differently since the area gets saturated then dries and gets saturated again then dries again, etc. A new spot will be dark with zero rings circling it.
• Examine the Materials: It's fundamental to be cognizant of the materials that make up your ceiling or walls, since things such as thick paint or tiles can trap moisture. If this is the circumstance, even a water spot that's small can mean the accumulation of water has been lingering for a while.
• Mold Inspection: If you see that bacteria, or mold, is there, the damage produced by water has lingered for nearly two to three days.
• Decay: Your material won't decay by the first occurrence of damage caused by water. So if there has been rot, this indicates your material has been susceptible to consistent standing water or flooding.

Water Damage Repair Specialists - Get in Touch with Paul Davis

The amount of the damage produced by water doesn't matter, Paul Davis is here to assist. Our team of expert water damage repair contractors can fix the issue and have your home in a good state. Remedy the issue today before it gets in a worse condition and get in touch with us at (613)531-7962 to find a local franchise near your location.