Old-New Water Damage – Help from Water Damage Repair Professionals
When you have backed-up bathtubs, toilets or sinks that overflow, it’s obvious that water damage repairs will be required. Unfortunately, your home can sustain water damage in ways that aren’t as straightforward. Because you have pipes running all over your residence, you can have a pipe leaking or an accumulation of condensation between your walls or ceilings. 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 identify how long the problem has lingered.
You can check how new or old your water issues are by evaluating the water damage itself since the pipes are hidden. Unfortunately, it’s hard to find out a precise timeline, but we have some advice on how to evaluate the damage so you can come up with an estimated time on how long you’ve had water in the damaged space.
Find Out the Lifetime of Your Water Damage
Below are step-by-steps you can follow to evaluate the age of your water damage:
- History of the House: An old home might already have some previous damage produced from water, so it’s fundamental to keep track of what’s there and to note if the damage changes overtime. Tracking the weather is a good idea too, because if you have a small leak, it can take months for a water spot to surface. Keeping track of your water spots and damages can save you lots of time when determining whether your water damage is new or old.
- History of the House: Take note of any spots on your ceiling or walls and take into account any strong weather you had in your location like heavy rain. Water spots can take some time to surface if it’s a slight leak. If you occupy an older house, the spots generated by water damage might have been there for a while. So it’s essential to keep track of the spots you perceive while determining whether this is old water damage or old water damage.
- Touch the Spot: You’ll be able to determine whether the damage generated by water is old or new just by feeling it. An older spot is going to be spongy since the material has taken in a good amount of water. A newer spot is going to be moist, however, the material will feel solid.
- Look for Rings: You know how tree rings show how old a tree is? The same idea can be used towards water spots. An older water spot is going to have rings around it. They will also be shaded differently because the area gets saturated then dries and gets saturated again then dries again, etcetera. A newer spot will be darker with zero rings around it.
- Examine the Materials: Materials like thick paint and tiles can trap water and moisture, so if you have a water spot seeping through one of these, this can indicate there’s been water lingering for a while. Being aware of the materials around your property can help you address your water damage problems more effectively.
- Mold Inspection: If mold has had time to inhabit the space, this indicates that the damage generated by water has lingered for nearly two to three days.
- Decomposition: Decomposed material indicates that the damage generated by water is either a repeat offender or that it’s extensive because there’s standing water. A first instance of water damage usually won’t cause deterioration.
Contact Paul Davis – Your Expert Water Damage Repair Specialists
No matter the extent of the damage generated by water, Paul Davis is here to help out. Our team of skillful water damage restoration technicians can resolve the issue and have your residence in a good state. Fix the problem today before it gets worse and contact us at 989-894-4450 for a local franchise in your location.