Professional Water Damage Restoration Advice - How Old Are Your Water Spots?
When you have backed-up sinks, bathtubs or toilets that overflow, it's obvious that you're in need of water damage restoration. Unfortunately, your residence can suffer from water damage in ways that aren't as clear. Because you have pipes running all over your home, you can have a pipe leaking or an accumulation of condensation between your ceilings and walls. It's an inconvenient incident since this isn't visible- you won't notice it until you have water damage, and then it's difficult to define how long the problem has lingered.
Yet, when you recognize damage to your walls or water spots on your ceiling, these are the sure signs of a leaky pipe or condensation causing a problem. Because the space is unseen, though, it's hard to verify how long the problem has lasted. Even though there isn't a way to know precisely how long your water damage problem has lingered, there are some ways to indicate whether the water damage is old or new.
Determine How Old Your Water Damage is with These Tips
By following the steps listed below, you can determine how new or old the damage produced by water:
- History of the House: An older residence may already have some previous damage provoked from water, so it's critical 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, because if you have a modest leak, it can take awhile for a water spot to surface. Taking note of your water spots and damages can save you lots of time when finding out whether your water damage is old or new.
- History of the House: When your home has any spots caused from water damage, it's fundamental to keep track of them when determining whether damage caused from water is old or new. Additionally, you'll want to be observant of any weather that could bring hidden water damage to the surface such as a rain storm. Know your house, since 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 identify your problem quicker.
- Touch the Spot: Go ahead and feel 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 ceiling or drywall will still be durable, while an older spot will be mushy and squishy since your material would have absorbed a fair amount of moisture.
- Look for Rings: Remember how rings on a tree show the age of the tree? The same idea can be used towards spots generated by water. An older water spot will have rings around it. They can also be shaded differently since the area gets wet then dries and gets wet again then dries again, etcetera. A newer spot will be darker with no rings circling it.
- Examine the Materials: Materials such as thick paint and tiles can trap water and moisture, so when you have a spot caused by water leaking through one of these, this can mean there's been a buildup of water for awhile. Being aware of the materials around your property can help you address your water damage problems more efficiently.
- Mold Inspection: When bacteria has had time to settle in, this implies the damage generated by water has lingered for approximately two to three days.
- Deterioration: Decaying material means that the damage generated by water is either a repeat offender or that it's serious because there's standing water. A first instance of damage generated by water typically doesn't cause decay.
Reach out to Paul - Your Expert Water Damage Restoration Technicians
For all your water damage restoration needs, get in touch with Paul Davis. When there's a pipe dripping that you can't identify, it's crucial to contact a professional. The professional team at Paul Davis has the know-how and response time you need to get your home back in order. For a local franchise in your location, give us a call at (902)893-7260 and we'll get a professional to come help you out.