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

When you have backed-up toilets, sinks or bathtubs that overflow, it's obvious that you're in need of water damage restoration. Nonetheless, your home can sustain water damage in ways that aren't as straightforward. Since you have pipes running through your house, you can have a leaky pipe or a buildup of condensation between your walls or ceilings. It's an alarming incident since this isn't visible- you won't know until you there's water damage, and then it's hard to identify how long the issue has lingered.

However, when you notice damage to your walls or water spots on your ceiling, these are the sure signs of a pipe that's leaking or condensation causing a issue. Since the space is unseen, though, it's hard to determine how long the issue has been at hand. Even though there isn't an approach to figure out exactly how long your water damage issue has lingered, there are some ways to diagnose whether the water damage is old or new.

A Guide On Damage Caused by Water - Evaluate its Time Frame

By taking the step-by-step process listed below, you'll be able to indicate how new or old the damage caused by water:

• History of the House: When your house has any spots caused from water damage, it's critical to take note of them when determining whether damage provoked from water is old or new. Also, you'll want to be apprehensive of any storms that could bring hidden water damage to the surface like a rain storm. Know your home, since pipes with a slow drip can take awhile to surface, and if you understand what's old and what's new, you'll be able to pinpoint your issue faster.
• History of the House: Keep a record of any spots on your walls or ceilings and take into account any outside influences like heavy rain. Damages and spots caused by water can take awhile to come up if it's a slight leak. An older house could already have some water spots that were sustained previously. So it's critical to take note of the spots you perceive while determining whether this is new water damage or old water damage.
• Touch the Spot: You can feel the spot, because this can tell you a lot about the age of the damage produced by water. A new spot will be wet but your drywall or ceiling will still be the same, while an old spot will be spongy and squishy since your material would have taken in a good amount of moisture.
• Look for Rings: When you see just one dark spot with zero rings around it, this shows that the damage produced by water is new. Old damage produced by water will have rings around it, and like trees, the more rings shows the age. Discolored rings reveals that the area has been drenched, dried, drenched, dried, etc.
• Examine the Materials: Materials like thick paint and tiles can trap water, so when you have a spot produced by water leaking through one of these, this can indicate there's been a buildup of water for a period of time. Knowing the materials in your property can help you address your water damage problems more efficiently.
• Mold Inspection: If bacteria has had time to colonize, this implies that your water damage has been present for approximately two to three days.
• Decay: Decaying material means that your water damage is either a repeat offender or that it's extensive because there's standing water. A first case of damage produced by water typically doesn't lead to decay.

Get an Expert Water Damage Repair Contractor

For any water damage restoration needs, call Paul Davis. If there's a leak that you can't identify, it's fundamental to contact an expert. Paul Davis' expert team has the experience and response time you need to maintain your house. To find a local franchise in your area, give us a call at +1-403-320-5744 and we'll get a professional to come help you out.