Methods to Determine if Your Water Damage is New or Old

When you have backed-up sinks, bathtubs or toilets that overflow, it's obvious that water damage repairs will be required. Still, your residence can come under water damage in ways that aren't as visible. Since you have pipes running through your residence, you can have a pipe leaking or a buildup of condensation between your walls or ceilings. It's an inconvenient problem because this isn't visible- you won't know until you have water damage, and then it's difficult to identify how long the problem has lingered.

You can check how new or old your water problems are by analyzing the water damage itself since the pipes are hidden. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find out an exact timeline, but we have some guidance on how to evaluate the damage so you can come up with an approximate time on how long you've had water in the area.

Tips On Water Damage - Evaluate its Age

You can make a judgement on whether your water damage is old or new by following these steps:

• History of the House: An older residence may already have some previous damage produced from water, so it's effective to keep track 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, because if you have a a slow dripping pipe, it can take months for a spot to appear. Keeping track of your water damages can save you a lot of hassle when diagnosing whether the damage produced from water is new or old.
• History of the House: When your residence has any spots from water damage, it's fundamental 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 weather that could bring hidden water damage to the surface like heavy rain. Know your property, because pipes with a slow drip can take months to appear, and if you know what's new and what's old, you'll be able to identify your problem quicker.
• Touch the Spot: Go on and feel the spot, because this will disclose a lot about the age of the damage produced by water. A newer spot will be wet but your drywall or ceiling will still be strong, while an older spot will be spongy and soft because your material would have taken in a fair amount of water.
• Look for Rings: When you see just a darker spot with zero rings around it, this indicates that the damage produced by water is new. Older damage produced by water will have rings around it, and just like a tree, the more rings indicates the age. Discolored rings exhibits that the area has been saturated, dried, saturated, dried, etc.
• Examine the Materials: It's fundamental to be aware of the materials that make up your ceiling or walls, because things like tiles or thick paint can actually trap the water. When this is the case, even a water spot that's small can indicate the accumulation of water has been lingering for a while.
• Mold Inspection: If you see that bacteria, or mold, is present, your water damage has lingered for approximately two to three days.
• Decomposition: Your material doesn't typically rot from the first situation of damage created by water. And when there has been deterioration, this indicates your material has been susceptible to consistent flooding or standing water.

Get in Touch with Paul - Your Skillful Water Damage Restoration Technicians

The intensity of your water damage doesn't matter, Paul Davis is here to help out. Our team of experienced water damage repair technicians can resolve the problem and have your residence in a great state. Fix the problem today before it gets worse and get in touch with us at (514)644-9955 to find a local franchise near your area.