Water Damage Restoration - Indicate the Age of Water Spots

When you have backed-up bathtubs, toilets or sinks that overflow, you know that you’re in need of water damage repair. Nonetheless, your home can experience water damage in ways that aren’t as visible. Since you have pipes running throughout your house, you can have a leaky pipe or a buildup of condensation between your ceilings and walls. It’s a troublesome problem since this isn’t visible- you won’t notice it until you there’s water damage, and then it’s hard to diagnose how long the issue has persisted.

For these spaces that aren’t visible, it’s challenging to check how old the damage produced by water is. Though, you could have a pipe that’s been slightly leaking for a period of time but because it’s been hidden, you don’t know how long. There’s no way to indicate exactly how long the problem has persisted, but there are methods to estimate the age of the water damage.

Discover How Old or New Your Water Damage is with These Steps

By following the step-by-step process listed below, you’ll be able to indicate how old or new the damage caused by water:

  • History of the House: If your house has any spots caused from water damage, it’s essential to take note of them when determining whether damage provoked from water is new or old. In addition, you’ll want to be conscious of any storms that could bring hidden water damage to the surface such as a downpour. Know your home, since pipes with a slow drip can take some time to appear, and if you know what’s old and what’s new, you’ll be able to diagnose your problem faster.
  • History of the House: An older home could already have some previous water damage, so it’s essential to keep a record of what’s there and to note if the damage changes over a period of time. Tracking the weather is a great idea as well, since, if you have a modest leak, it can take awhile for a water spot to appear. Taking note of your water spots and damages can save you a lot of hassle when diagnosing whether your water damage is new or old.
  • Touch the Spot: You’ll be able to verify whether the damage produced by water is old or new just by feeling it. An older spot will be squishy since the material has taken in a lot of water. A newer spot will be wet, but the material will have a solid feel to it.
  • Look for Rings: Having rings around your water damage spot reveals its age. Think about it as if it was a tree- the more rings, the longer the damage produced by water has been around. Different shadings of the stain is useful since it reveals that the area leaks, dries, gets saturated, dries, etcetera. If it’s a brand new spot damaged by water, the area will be a single mark with no rings.
  • Examine the Materials: Get to know the material around your home, since water and moisture can get trapped by thick paint and tiles. So if water spots show up through these, this indicates the accumulation of moisture has remained for a period of time.
  • Mold Inspection: Bacteria development normally means that the damage produced by water has lingered for approximately two to three days.
  • Decomposition: Decomposed 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 damage produced by water typically doesn’t cause decomposition.

Get Help from a Professional Water Damage Restoration Contractor

For all your water damage repair needs, get in touch with Paul Davis. If there’s a pipe dripping that you can’t detect, it’s important to reach out to an expert. Paul Davis’ professional team has the experience and response time required to get your house back in order. For a local franchise in your location, give us a call at (616) 647-5514 and we’ll get a professional to come help you out.