One of the more common issues a home can experience is water damage. As water damage restoration professionals, Paul Davis knows the complications that water damage leads to, especially when it can’t be seen. Your house has plumbing running throughout it, this includes the inside of your ceilings and walls. When these pipes have condensation on them or a leak, they can gradually erode your walls and ceilings. One of the more frustrating aspects to this is verifying whether the water damage is new or old.
Yet, when you notice water spots on your ceiling or damage to your walls, these are clues indicating a leaky pipe or condensation generating the issue. Since the area is hidden, though, it’s hard to verify how long the problem has been at hand. Even though there isn’t an approach to know exactly how long your water damage issue has persisted, there are some ways to diagnose whether the water damage is new or old.
Evaluate How Old Your Water Damage is with These Steps
The following step-by-step process can help you understand whether the damage caused by water is new or old:
- History of the House: If your home has any water spots, it’s important to keep track of them when figuring out whether your water damage is new or old. Also, you’ll want to be apprehensive of any weather that could bring hidden water damage to the surface like heavy rain. Know your home, because modest leaks can take some time to surface, and if you know what’s new and what’s old, you’ll be able to identify your problem quicker.
- History of the House: If your home has any water spots, it’s important to keep track of them when figuring out whether your water damage is new or old. Also, you’ll want to be apprehensive of any weather that could bring hidden water damage to the surface like heavy rain. Know your home, because modest leaks can take some time to surface, and if you know what’s new and what’s old, you’ll be able to identify your problem quicker.
- Touch the Spot: You’ll be able to indicate whether the damage caused by water is new or old just by feeling it. An old spot will be mushy since the material has absorbed a lot of water. A new spot will be moist, however, the material will have a solid feel to it.
- Look for Rings: If you see just one dark spot with no rings around it, this shows that the water damage is new. Old water damage will have rings around it, and just like a tree, the more rings determines the age. Discolored rings exhibits that the area has been saturated, dried, saturated, dried, etc.
- Examine the Materials: Materials like tiles and thick paint can trap water and moisture, so when you have a water spot leaking through one of these, this can mean there’s been water lingering for a period of time. Being aware of the materials can help you address your water damage issues more effectively.
- Mold Inspection: When mold has had time to inhabit the space, this indicates the damage caused by water has been there for nearly two to three days.
- Decay: If your materials decay from water damage, this is normally the consequence of regular flooding or standing water. Deterioration normally won’t occur from the first instance of leakage.
Get a Professional Water Damage Restoration Contractor
No matter the amount of the damage caused by water, Paul Davis is here to help out. Our team of professional water damage restoration technicians can resolve the problem and have your home in a great state. Remedy the issue today before it gets in a worse condition and get in touch with us at 650-445-4221 to find a local franchise near your area.
