When you have backed-up sinks, bathtubs or toilets that flood, you know that you’re in need of water damage repair. Nonetheless, your home can experience water damage in ways that aren’t as noticeable. Because you have plumbing running all over your house, you can have a pipe leaking or an accumulation of condensation between your walls or ceilings. It’s an inconvenient incident because this isn’t in view- you won’t know until you there’s water damage, and then it’s hard to define how long the issue has lingered.
Because the pipes are hidden, you can get an estimate of how long you’ve had water issues by evaluating the water damage itself. Unfortunately, it’s hard to figure out an exact timeline, but we have some guidance on how to examine the damage so you can come up with an estimated time on how long you’ve had water in the area.
Determine the Lifetime of Your Water Damage
You can find out whether the damage generated by water is new or old by following this step-by-step process:
- History of the House: An old home could already have some previous water damage, so it’s essential to keep track of what’s there and to note if the damage changes over a period of time. Tracking the weather is a good idea too, since, if you have a small leak, it can take awhile for a spot to appear. Keeping track of your water 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 walls or ceilings and take into account any outside influences such as a downpour. Damages and spots derived from water can take months to materialize if it’s a slight leak. An older home could have some water spots that were sustained previously. So it’s fundamental to keep track of the spots you see while finding out whether this is new water damage or old water damage.
- Touch the Spot: Go on and touch the spot, because this can reveal a lot about the age of the damage generated by water. A newer spot will be wet but your drywall or ceiling will still be durable, while an older spot will be spongy and squishy because your material would have taken in a good amount of moisture.
- Look for Rings: If you see just one darker spot with zero rings around it, this demonstrates that the damage generated by water is new. Older damage generated by water will have rings around it, and just like a tree, the more rings indicates the age. Different colored and shades of rings tell you that the spot has been soaked, dried, soaked, dried, etc.
- Examine the Materials: It’s critical to know about the materials that make up your walls or ceilings, since things such as tiles or thick paint can actually trap moisture. If this is the circumstance, even a small water spot can indicate the accumulation of water has been lingering for a period of time.
- Mold Inspection: If you find that bacteria is present, the damage generated by water has lingered for nearly two to three days.
- Rot: If your materials deteriorate from damage created by water, this is usually the outcome of repeat flooding or standing water. Deterioration usually won’t happen from the first instance of a leak.
Reach out to Paul Davis – Your Skillful Water Damage Repair Specialists
For all your water damage repair needs, contact Paul Davis. If there’s a leak that you can’t find, it’s fundamental to get in touch with an expert. Paul Davis’ professional team has the industry knowledge and response time you need to get your house back in order. For a local franchise near your area, get in touch with us at 570-402-2300 and we’ll get a professional to come help you out.
