Water Spots – How New Are They? – Learn by Taking These Steps

When you have clogged sinks, bathtubs or toilets that flood, it’s obvious that water damage repairs will be necessary. Though, your home can experience water damage in ways that aren’t as clear. Because you have plumbing running through your residence, you can have a pipe leaking or a buildup of condensation between your walls or ceilings. It’s an inconvenient incident because this isn’t visible- you won’t know until you there’s water damage, and then it’s difficult to identify how long the issue has lingered.

You can determine how old or new your water complications are by analyzing the water damage itself since the pipes are concealed. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to figure out a precise timeline, but we have some tips on how to analyze the damage so you can come up with an estimated time on how long you’ve had water in the damaged space.

Tips On Water Damage – Evaluate its Time Frame

You can figure out an estimated age of the damage generated from water by taking these steps:

  • History of the House: An old home may already have some previous water damage, so it’s fundamental to keep track of what’s there and to note if the damage changes over a period of time. Keeping track of the weather is a good idea too, since, if you have a modest leak, it can take a while for a spot to appear. Taking note of your water damages can save you a lot of hassle when pinpointing whether your water damage is old or new.
  • History of the House: Take note of any spots on your walls or ceilings and take into account any strong weather you had in your location like a heavy rain storm. Damages and spots derived from water can take months to surface if the leak is modest. An older home may already have some water spots and damages that were sustained previously. So it’s essential to keep track of the spots you perceive while figuring out whether this is new water damage or old water damage.
  • Touch the Spot: You’ll be able to determine whether the damage caused by water is old or new just by touching it. An old spot will be squishy because the material has taken in a lot of moisture. A new spot will be wet, however, the material will have a solid feel to it.
  • Look for Rings: You know how tree rings indicate how old a tree is? The same method can be used towards spots created by water. An old water spot will have rings around it. They will also be discolored because the spot gets saturated then dries and gets saturated again then dries again, etc. A new spot will be dark with zero rings circling it.
  • Examine the Materials: Materials like tiles and thick paint can actually trap water, so if you have a spot created by water leaking through one of these, this can mean there’s been water lingering for a while. Knowing the materials in your house can help you address your water damage issues more effectively.
  • Mold Inspection: Bacteria, or mold, growth typically means the damage caused by water has lingered for approximately two to three days.
  • Rot: Your material doesn’t typically deteriorate by the first instance of damage produced by water. And if there has been deterioration, this means your material has been susceptible to consistent standing water or flooding.

Eradicate Damage Generated by Water & Call Paul

When you’re having water damage complications, Paul Davis is here to help out. It’s important to fix any dripping pipes in your house prior to the damage becoming more serious. Our water damage restoration professionals can find a leak and restore your property back to normal no matter the size of the job. Contact us now at 989-894-4450 and franchise near you will be there to help out.