Old-New Water Damage – Tips by Water Damage Repair Professionals

One of the more typical problems a house can go through is water damage. As water damage repair experts, Paul Davis understands the issues that water damage produces, especially when it can’t be seen. Your property has plumbing running throughout it, this includes the inside of your ceilings and walls. When these pipes leak or have condensation on them, they can slowly corrode your walls and ceilings. One of the more frustrating parts to this is verifying whether or not the water damage is new or old.

Yet, when you catch water spots on your ceiling or damage to your walls, these are flags indicating a pipe that’s leaking or condensation causing an issue. Since the area is concealed, though, it’s difficult to figure out how long the issue has been at hand. Even though there isn’t an approach to know exactly how long your water damage problem has lingered, there are some ways to diagnose whether the water damage is new or old.

A Step-by-Step On Damage Caused by Water – Evaluate its Age

You can get an approximate age of the damage induced from water by taking these steps:

  • History of the House: An old home might already have some previous water damage, so it’s effective to keep track of what’s there and to note if the damage alters over a period of time. Keeping track of 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 damages can save you lots of time when determining whether the damage caused from water is new or old.
  • History of the House: An old home might already have some previous water damage, so it’s effective to keep track of what’s there and to note if the damage alters over a period of time. Keeping track of 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 damages can save you lots of time when determining whether the damage caused from water is new or old.
  • Touch the Spot: You can touch the spot, because this can reveal a lot about the age of the water damage. A newer spot will feel wet but your drywall or ceiling will still feel the same, while an older spot will be mushy and squishy because your material would have absorbed a good amount of moisture.
  • Look for Rings: Having rings around your water damage spot shows age. Think about it as if it was a tree- the more rings, the longer the water damage has been lingering. Discoloration of the stain is useful because it reveals that the area leaks, dries, gets saturated, dries, etc. If it’s a new spot caused by water, the area will be a single stain with zero rings around it.
  • Examine the Materials: Materials such as tiles and thick paint can actually trap water, so when you have a water spot seeping through one of these, this can indicate there’s been water lingering for a period of time. Knowing the materials can help you address your water damage issues more efficiently.
  • Mold Inspection: If you see that bacteria, or mold, is there, the damage caused by water has been present for nearly two to three days.
  • Decomposition: When your materials rot from water damage, this is typically the outcome of regular flooding or standing water. Decomposition typically doesn’t occur from the first situation of a leak.

Water Damage Restoration Contractors – Reach Out to Paul Davis

When you’re having water damage problems, look to Paul Davis. It’s essential to fix any leaks on your property prior to the damage becoming more extensive. Our water damage repair professionals can find a leak and fix your house back to normal no matter the size of the job. Get in touch with us today at 989-894-4450 and franchise near your area will be there to assist you.