How to Tell the Age of Water Damage – Water Damage Restoration

A typical problem that a lot of properties confront is some form of water damage. As water damage restoration professionals, Paul Davis knows the problems that water damage produces, especially when it isn’t in sight. Your residence has pipes everywhere, this includes the inside of your walls and ceilings. When these pipes leak or have condensation on them, they can slowly wear out your walls and ceilings. One of the more hard parts to this is detecting whether or not the water damage is new or old.

Because the pipes are hidden, you can get an estimate of how long you’ve had water issues by examining the water damage itself. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to figure out a precise 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 damaged space.

Figure Out How Old or New Your Water Damage is with This Guidance

Listed below are a few steps you can follow in order to find out the age of your water damage:

  • History of the House: When your home has any water spots, it’s fundamental to keep a record of them when figuring out whether damage generated from water is new or old. Also, you’ll want to be aware of any weather that could bring hidden water damage to the surface like heavy rain. Know your property, since smaller leaks can take some time to surface, and if you understand what’s old and what’s new, you’ll be able to identify your problem faster.
  • History of the House: When your home has any water spots, it’s fundamental to keep a record of them when figuring out whether damage generated from water is new or old. Also, you’ll want to be aware of any weather that could bring hidden water damage to the surface like heavy rain. Know your property, since smaller leaks can take some time to surface, and if you understand what’s old and what’s new, you’ll be able to identify your problem faster.
  • Touch the Spot: When the water spot is old, it will be mushy and soft since during the period of the water leak, your drywall or ceiling has absorbed a good amount of water. A newer spot will feel wet but it won’t be soft like an older spot.
  • Look for Rings: Having rings around your water damage spot shows its age. Consider it like a tree- the more rings, the longer the water damage has been present. Color variations of the spot is also helpful since it reveals that the area gets soaked, dries, leaks, dries, etcetera. If it’s a new spot damaged by water, the area will be a single blemish with no rings.
  • Examine the Materials: Get to know the material in your property, since water can get trapped by tiles and thick paint. And if water spots show up through these types of materials, this indicates the buildup of moisture has remained for awhile.
  • Mold Inspection: When mold has had time to colonize, this means your water damage has been present for nearly two to three days.
  • Decomposition: When your materials decompose from damage created by water, this is typically the consequence of regular flooding or standing water. Decay typically won’t happen from the first case of a leak.

Get a Professional Water Damage Restoration Specialist

When you’re having issues with damages that are created by water, look to Paul Davis. It’s vital to remedy any dripping pipes in your house prior to the damage becoming more serious. Our water damage restoration experts can locate dripping pipes and restore your property back to normal conditions no matter the size of the job. Contact Paul today at (770) 796-4848 and a local franchise is there to help out.