Water Damage Restoration - Figure Out the Age of Water Damage

A common complication that a lot of residences deal with is some form of damage caused by water. As water damage restoration experts, Paul Davis knows the issues that water damage leads to, especially when it isn’t in sight. Your residence has plumbing everywhere, including the inside of your ceilings and walls. If these pipes have condensation on them or a leak, they can gradually corrode your walls and ceilings. One of the more hard aspects to this is determining whether the damage caused by water is new or old.

Because 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 find out an exact timeline, but we have some guidance on how to examine the damage so you can come up with an approximate time on how long you’ve had water in the damaged space.

Find Out How Old or New the Damage Produced by Water is with This Guidance

You can get an approximate time frame of the damage generated from water by following these steps:

  • History of the House: An old house could already have some previous water damage, so it’s fundamental to keep a record of what’s there and to note if the damage changes overtime. Tracking the weather is a great idea as well, because if you have a a slow dripping pipe, it can take a while for a spot to appear. Taking note of your water damages can save you lots of time when determining whether the damage caused from water is new or old.
  • History of the House: Keep a record of any spots on your ceiling or walls and take into account any strong weather you had in your location such as a heavy rain storm. Water spots can take some time to develop if it’s a slight leak. Older properties could have some water spots that were sustained previously. So it’s critical to take note of the spots you observe while indicating whether this is old water damage or old water damage.
  • Touch the Spot: Go on and feel the spot- this will disclose a lot about the age of the damage caused by water. A new spot will feel wet but your ceiling or drywall will still feel durable, while an old spot will be spongy and soft because your material would have absorbed a fair amount of water.
  • Look for Rings: Remember how tree rings show how old a tree is? The same method can be used towards water spots. An old water spot is going to have rings around it. They will also be discolored since the spot gets soaked then dries and gets soaked again then dries again, etcetera. A new spot will be dark with zero rings around it.
  • Examine the Materials: It’s vital to be aware of the materials that make up your ceiling or walls, since things such as tiles or thick paint can actually trap moisture. If this is the case, even a small water spot can mean the accumulation of water has been around for a while.
  • Mold Inspection: If mold has had time to colonize, this implies your water damage has lingered for nearly two to three days.
  • Decay: If your materials deteriorate from damage generated by water, this is normally the result of regular flooding or standing water. Decomposition normally won’t happen from the first case of a leak.

Eradicate Damage Caused by Water & Call Paul Davis

The extent of your water damage doesn’t matter, Paul Davis is here to help out. Our team of expert water damage restoration contractors can fix the problem and have your residence in a great state. Remedy the problem now before it gets even worse and reach out to us at 989-894-4450 to find a local franchise in your location.