Expert Water Damage Repair Tips - How Old Are Your Water Spots?

When you have clogged bathtubs, toilets or sinks that overflow, it's obvious that you're in need of water damage repair. Nonetheless, your house can sustain water damage in ways that aren't as distinct. Since you have pipes running all over your residence, you can have a leaky pipe or a buildup of condensation between your walls or ceilings. It's an alarming problem since this isn't visible- you won't know until you have water damage, and then it's hard to define how long the issue has persisted.

For these spaces that aren't visible, it's hard to check how old or new the water damage is. Though, you could have a leaky pipe that was slightly dripping for awhile but because it's been concealed, you don't know how long. There's no way to determine the precise time of the problem, but there are some approaches to estimate the age of the water damage.

Figure Out the Age of the Damage Produced by Water

You can make a judgement on whether the damage produced by water is new or old by using these tips:

  • History of the House: An old house may already have some previous damage caused from water, so it's important to keep track of what's there and to note if the damage changes overtime. Keeping track of the weather is a great idea too, because if you have a a slow dripping pipe, it can take some time for a water spot to appear. Keeping track of your water damages can save you a lot of hassle when finding out whether the damage produced from water is old or new.
  • History of the House: An old house may already have some previous damage caused from water, so it's important to keep track of what's there and to note if the damage changes overtime. Keeping track of the weather is a great idea too, because if you have a a slow dripping pipe, it can take some time for a water spot to appear. Keeping track of your water damages can save you a lot of hassle when finding out whether the damage produced from water is old or new.
  • Touch the Spot: You'll be able to indicate whether the damage produced by water is new or old just by touching it. An older spot is going to be squishy since the material has absorbed a good amount of moisture. A newer spot is going to be wet, but the material will still have a solid feel to it.
  • Look for Rings: Remember how rings on a tree presents how old a tree is? The same approach can be used for spots generated by water. An older water spot will have rings around it. They can also be discolored since the spot gets soaked then dries and gets soaked again then dries again, etcetera. A newer spot will be darker with zero rings circling it.
  • Examine the Materials: It's crucial to know about the materials that make up your ceiling or walls, since things like tiles or thick paint can actually trap moisture. When this is the case, even a small water spot can mean the buildup of water has been lingering for a while.
  • Mold Inspection: Bacteria, or mold, development normally means that the damage produced by water has been present for about two to three days.
  • Rot: Your material doesn't typically rot by the first instance of water damage. So if there has been rot, this means your material has been susceptible to constant flooding or standing water.

Get Rid of Water Damage & Call Paul Davis

No matter the extent of the damage produced by water, Paul Davis is here to help. Our team of professional water damage repair contractors can fix the issue and have your residence in a great state. Fix the issue today before it gets in a worse condition and contact us at (807)344-7566 for a local franchise near you.