Determining the Age of a Water Spot – Water Damage Repair

When you have clogged sinks, bathtubs or toilets that overflow, it’s obvious that water damage repairs will be required. Unfortunately, your home can come under water damage in ways that aren’t as evident. Because you have plumbing running all over your property, you can have a pipe leaking or a buildup of condensation between your ceilings and walls. It’s a difficult incident since this isn’t visible- you won’t know until you there’s water damage, and then it’s hard to diagnose how long the issue has persisted.

You can detect how new or old your water issues are by analyzing the water damage itself since the pipes aren’t visible. Unfortunately, it’s hard to figure out a precise timeline, but we have some guidance on how to examine the damage so you can come up with an estimated time on how long you’ve had water in the area.

Determine How Old the Damage Generated by Water is with These Tips

By practicing the tips listed below, you can learn how old or new the damage produced by water:

  • History of the House: Take note of any spots on your walls or ceilings and take into account any outside influences like heavy rain. Water spots and damages can take a while to develop if the leak is small. Older properties could have some water spots and damages that were sustained previously. So it’s fundamental to take note of the spots you perceive while finding out whether this is new water damage or old water damage.
  • History of the House: An older home could already have some previous water damage, so it’s fundamental to keep track of what’s there and to note if the damage alters overtime. Tracking the weather is a great idea as well, because if you have a a slow leak, it can take months for a water spot to appear. Taking note of your water spots and damages can save you a lot of hassle when finding out whether your water damage is new or old.
  • Touch the Spot: You can feel the spot, because this will disclose a lot about the age of the water damage. A new spot will feel wet but your ceiling or drywall will still feel strong, while an old spot will be spongy and soft since your material would have absorbed a good amount of water.
  • Look for Rings: Having rings around the damaged spot caused by water shows its age. Think about it as if it was a tree- the more rings, the older the water damage is. Color variations of the stain is useful since it indicates that the area gets soaked, dries, gets saturated, dries, so on and so forth. If it’s a new spot created by water, the area will be a single mark with zero rings.
  • Examine the Materials: Materials like thick paint and tiles can trap water, so when you have a water spot leaking through one of these, this can indicate there’s been a buildup of water for a while. Knowing the materials can help you focus on your water damage issues more efficiently.
  • Mold Inspection: Bacteria, or mold, growth normally indicates that the damage produced by water has been present for approximately two to three days.
  • Deterioration: Decaying material indicates that the damage produced by water is either a repeat offender or that it’s serious because there’s standing water. A first instance of water damage typically doesn’t cause decay.

Get Help from an Experienced Water Damage Restoration Specialist

No matter the degree of the damage produced by water, Paul Davis is here to help. Our team of skillful water damage restoration technicians can resolve the problem and have your property back in great condition. Remedy the issue now before it gets in a worse condition and call us at 989-894-4450 to find a local franchise near you.