Determining the Age of Water Damage – Water Damage Restoration

A common issue that a lot of houses face is some form of water damage. As water damage restoration experts, Paul Davis understands the problems that water damage causes, especially when it can’t be seen. Your residence has plumbing running throughout it, this includes the inside of your ceilings and walls. If these pipes have condensation on them or a leak, they can slowly deteriorate your ceiling or walls. One of the more frustrating situations to this is checking whether or not the water damage is old or new.

But, when you recognize damage to your walls or water spots on your ceiling, these are the sure signs of a leaky pipe or condensation generating the issue. Since the space is hidden, though, it’s hard to ascertain how long the problem has been at hand. Even though there isn’t a way to figure out precisely how long your water damage issue has lingered, there are some ways to diagnose whether the water damage is old or new.

Find Out the Time Frame of the Damage Produced by Water

By following the step-by-step process listed below, you’ll be able to indicate the age of your water damage:

  • History of the House: Take note of any spots on your walls or ceilings and take into account any outside influences like a downpour. Water spots and damages can take awhile to materialize if it’s a slight leak. If your residence is an older house, the spots produced by water damage could have been there for some time. So it’s essential to take note of the spots you notice while determining whether this is new water damage or old water damage.
  • History of the House: An old house could already have some previous damage caused from water, so it’s critical to keep a record of what’s there and to note if the damage changes overtime. Keeping track of the weather is a good idea as well, since, if you have a small leak, it can take months for a water spot to appear. Taking note of your water damages can save you lots of time when figuring out whether the damage produced from water is old or new.
  • Touch the Spot: When the water spot is old, it will be mushy and squishy since during the period of the leaking water, your ceiling or drywall has taken in a good amount of water. You’ll feel moisture with a new spot but it won’t be soft like an older spot.
  • Look for Rings: When you see just one dark spot with zero rings around it, this shows that the damage produced by water is new. Old damage produced by water usually has rings around it, and like trees, the more rings indicates the age. Different colored and shades of rings exhibits that the spot has been saturated, dried, saturated, dried, etc.
  • Examine the Materials: It’s important to know about the materials that make up your walls or ceilings, since things like tiles or thick paint can actually trap the water. When this is the case, even a water spot that’s small can mean the accumulation of water has been lingering for a while.
  • Mold Inspection: Bacteria development typically means that your water damage has been present for approximately two to three days.
  • Decay: Rotting material indicates that your water damage is either a repeat offender or that it’s serious because there’s standing water. A first case of damage produced by water typically doesn’t lead to deterioration.

Get an Experienced Water Damage Restoration Contractor

The degree of your water damage doesn’t matter, Paul Davis is here to assist. Our team of skillful water damage restoration technicians can fix the problem and have your property in a good state. Remedy the issue today before it gets in a worse condition and reach out to us at (317) 357-5396 for a local franchise near your location.