A Guidance to Discover the Age of Water Damage

One of the more typical complications a home can go through is water damage. As water damage restoration experts, Paul Davis understands the issues that water damage produces, especially when it can't be seen. Your property has plumbing everywhere, this includes the inside of your ceilings and walls. If these pipes have condensation on them or a leak, they can gradually wear out your walls and ceilings. One of the more frustrating aspects to this is checking whether or not the damage caused by water is new or old.

It's complicated to find out how old or new the water damage is for these spaces that aren't visible. Though, you could have a leaky pipe that was slightly dripping for awhile but because it's not in plain sight, you don't know how long. There's no way to determine exactly how long the problem has persisted, but there are some ways to estimate the age of the water damage.

Find Out the Time Frame of Your Water Damage

By taking the steps listed below, you can find out the age of the damage produced by water:

• 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 such as heavy rain. Damages and spots caused by water can take awhile to emerge if it's a slight leak. If you reside in an older house, the spots caused by water damage may have been there for awhile. So it's critical to keep track of the spots you notice while finding out whether this is old water damage or old water damage.
• History of the House: When your home has any water spots, it's critical to keep track of them when figuring out whether your water damage is new or old. Additionally, you'll want to be conscious of any storms that could bring hidden water damage to the surface like a rain storm. Know your home, because pipes with a slow drip can take awhile to surface, and if you know what's old and what's new, you'll be able to pinpoint your issue faster.
• Touch the Spot: When the water spot is old, it will be squishy and spongy because during the time of the water leak, your drywall or ceiling has taken in a good amount of water. You'll feel moisture with a newer spot but it won't be soft like an older spot.
• Look for Rings: When you see just one darker spot with zero rings around it, this shows that the damage caused by water is new. Older damage caused by water will have rings around it, and just like a tree, the more rings determines the age. Discolored rings reveals that the area has been saturated, dried, saturated, dried, etc.
• Examine the Materials: Learn about the material around your home, because water and moisture can become trapped by tiles and thick paint. So if spots caused by water show up through these types of materials, this indicates the buildup of water has remained for a period of time.
• Mold Inspection: If bacteria has had time to colonize, this indicates that the damage caused by water has lingered for approximately two to three days.
• Decomposition: Your material doesn't usually decompose by the first instance of damage created by water. And when there has been decay, this indicates your material has been vulnerable to repeated flooding or standing water.

Dispose of Water Damage & Call Paul Davis

If you're having complications with damages that are caused by water, look no further than Paul Davis. It's vital to take care of any dripping pipes in your residence before the damage becomes extensive. Our water damage restoration experts can detect a leak and repair your home back to normal no matter the size of the job. Contact Paul now at (709)635-3330 and near your location will be there to assist you.