How to Figure Out if Your Water Damage is New or Old

When you have clogged sinks, bathtubs or toilets that overflow, you know that you’re in need of water damage restoration. Nonetheless, your property can come under water damage in ways that aren’t as apparent. Because you have plumbing running all over your property, you can have a pipe leaking or a buildup of condensation between your ceilings and walls. It’s an inconvenient problem since this isn’t in sight- you won’t recognize it until you have water damage, and then it’s hard to define how long the issue has persisted.

Because the pipes are hidden, you can get an approximation of how long you’ve had water problems by analyzing the water damage itself. Unfortunately, it’s hard to find out an exact timeline, but we have some tips on how to analyze the damage so you can come up with an estimated time on how long you’ve had water in the area.

Discover How Old Your Water Damage is with This Guidance

By practicing the tips listed below, you’ll be able to indicate how old or new the damage produced by water:

  • History of the House: An old property could already have some previous water damage, so it’s critical to keep track of what’s there and to note if the damage changes over a period of time. Tracking the weather is a good idea too, since, if you have a modest leak, it can take some time for a water spot to surface. Keeping track of your water damages can save you a lot of hassle when figuring out whether the damage produced from water is new or old.
  • History of the House: Keep track of any spots on your ceiling or walls and take into account any outside influences like a heavy rain storm. Damages and spots derived from water can take months to come up if it’s a slight leak. If your residence is an older home, the water damage spots could have been there for awhile. So it’s important to keep track of the spots you perceive while determining whether this is old water damage or old water damage.
  • Touch the Spot: Go ahead and touch the spot- this can inform you 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 the same, while an older spot will be mushy and squishy since your material would have taken in a good amount of moisture.
  • Look for Rings: Outlining rings around your water damage spot reveals age. Think about it like a tree- the more rings it has, the longer the damage produced by water has been lingering. Discoloration of the spot is also helpful because it shows that the area leaks, dries, leaks, dries, etc. If it’s a new spot damaged by water, the area will be a single stain with zero rings.
  • Examine the Materials: Materials like tiles and thick paint can trap water and moisture, so when you have a spot created by water leaking through one of these, this can indicate there’s been a buildup of water for awhile. Knowing the materials can help you focus on your water damage problems more efficiently.
  • Mold Inspection: Bacteria, or mold, development normally means that the damage produced by water has been present for about two to three days.
  • Deterioration: Decomposed material means that the damage produced by water is either happening on a regular basis or that it’s extensive because there’s standing water. A first case of damage produced by water typically won’t cause decomposition.

Reach out to Paul Davis – Your Expert Water Damage Restoration Technicians

If you’re having water damage problems, look to Paul Davis. It’s essential to fix any dripping pipes in your house prior to the damage becoming more extensive. Our water damage restoration experts can locate dripping pipes and restore your house back to normal conditions no matter the size of the job. Get in touch with Paul now at (614) 367-9611 and near your location is there to help out.