Expert Water Damage Restoration Tips

One of the more common issues a home can experience is water damage. As water damage restoration professionals, Paul Davis understands the issues that water damage generates, especially when it isn’t in sight. Your residence 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 slowly wear out your ceiling or walls. One of the more hard situations to this is finding out whether the damage caused by water is new or old.

Yet, when you notice damage to your walls or water spots on your ceiling, these are the sure signs of a leaky pipe or condensation generating the problem. Since the space is concealed, though, it’s hard to determine how long the issue has lasted. Although there isn’t a way to know exactly how long your water damage problem has lingered, there are some ways to diagnose whether the water damage is new or old.

A Guide On Water Damage – Establish its Age

You can get an estimated age of your water damage by taking this step-by-step process:

  • History of the House: If your home has any spots from water damage, 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 observant of any storms that could bring hidden water damage to the surface such as a downpour. Know your home, since smaller leaks can take some time to appear, and if you know what’s old and what’s new, you’ll be able to identify your issue faster.
  • History of the House: Keep track of any spots on your ceiling or walls and take into account any outside influences like a downpour. Water spots can take some time to surface if it’s a slight leak. An older house may have some water spots that were sustained previously. So it’s important to keep track of the spots you notice while determining whether this is new water damage or old water damage.
  • Touch the Spot: You’ll be able to indicate whether your water damage is old or new just by feeling it. An old spot is going to be squishy because the material has taken in a lot of water. A new spot is going to be wet, however, the material will still feel solid.
  • Look for Rings: You know how rings on a tree reveal the age of the tree? The same method can be used towards spots produced by water. An old water spot is going to have rings around it. They will also be discolored since the spot gets wet then dries and gets wet again then dries again, etcetera. A new spot will be dark with zero rings around it.
  • Examine the Materials: Get to know the material around your home, since water can get trapped by tiles and thick paint. And if spots produced by water show up through these, this indicates the accumulation of moisture has been there for awhile.
  • Mold Inspection: If you see that bacteria, or mold, is there, your water damage has lingered for about two to three days.
  • Rot: If your materials decay from damage caused by water, this is typically the result of consistent flooding or standing water. Decay typically won’t occur from the first case of leakage.

Eliminate Damage Caused from Water & Call Paul

When you’re having issues with damages that are caused by water, Paul Davis’ professional team is here to assist you. It’s critical to remedy any leaks on your property before the damage becomes extensive. Our water damage restoration professionals can find a leak and fix your home back to normal no matter the size of the job. Call Paul now at (845) 651-1850 and a local franchise will be there to assist you.