Water Damage – How Old is it? – Learn by Taking These Steps
When you have clogged sinks, bathtubs or toilets that overflow, it’s obvious that you’re in need of water damage repair. Still, your property can come under water damage in ways that aren’t as apparent. Because you have pipes running through your property, you can have a pipe leaking or a buildup of condensation between your ceilings and walls. It’s a troublesome problem because this isn’t in sight- you won’t recognize it until you have water damage, and then it’s difficult to identify how long the issue has lingered.
You can figure out how old or new your water problems are by evaluating the water damage itself since the pipes are concealed. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to figure out an exact timeline, but we have some guidance on how to analyze the damage so you can come up with an approximate time on how long you’ve had water in the damaged space.
Discover the Age of the Damage Produced by Water
Listed below are step-by-steps you can take in order to determine the time frame of your water damage:
- 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 heavy rain. Damages and spots derived from water can take some time to appear if the leak is modest. An older house may have some water spots that were sustained previously. So it’s fundamental to keep a record of the spots you observe while indicating whether this is new water damage or old water damage.
- 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 heavy rain. Damages and spots derived from water can take some time to appear if the leak is modest. An older house may have some water spots that were sustained previously. So it’s fundamental to keep a record of the spots you observe while indicating whether this is old water damage or old water damage.
- Touch the Spot: You can touch the spot- this will inform you a lot about the age of the damage caused by water. A newer spot will feel wet but your drywall or ceiling will still feel strong, while an older spot will be soft and spongy because your material would have absorbed a good amount of moisture.
- Look for Rings: Having rings around your water damage spot shows age. Consider it as if it was a tree- the more rings, the longer the damage caused by water has been around. Different shadings of the spot is useful because it reveals that the area leaks, dries, gets saturated, dries, etcetera. If it’s a new water spot, the area will be a single blemish with zero rings.
- Examine the Materials: It’s important to be aware of the materials that comprise your ceiling or walls, because things such as thick paint or tiles can actually trap the water. If this is the case, even a water spot that’s small can mean the accumulation of water has been around for a period of time.
- Mold Inspection: If you see that bacteria, or mold, is present, your water damage has been present for about two to three days.
- Deterioration: If your materials decay from water damage, this is normally the consequence of regular flooding or standing water. Decay normally won’t happen from the first instance of leakage.
Eradicate Damage Produced from Water & Call Paul Davis
When you’re having water damage issues, look to Paul Davis. It’s crucial to take care of any leaks on your property before the damage becomes serious. Our water damage repair experts can locate dripping pipes and restore your home back to normal no matter the size of the job. Get in touch with us now at 989-894-4450 and near your location will be there to assist you.