Determining If Water Damage Is New Or Old
One of the most persistent problems any property can deal with is water damage. Unfortunately, if water damage isn’t cleaned up correctly in a proper time span, it will continue to stick around and cause further damage. What’s worse is water damage can be hidden for years with very little sign, causing problems behind the scenes. The pipes behind your walls are huge culprits for this and leave behind a small sign such as a dark spot on your ceiling or wall. Some homeowners don’t know what the dark spot is a sign of and could ignore or paint over it, leaving it for the future to deal with.
Water Damage Repair – Trumbull
One of the most frustrating factors of water damage repair is trying to determine how long it has been there. When you detect water spots on your wall or ceiling, it is a clear indicator that something is leaking behind your walls. However, since you cannot see it, it is almost difficult to determine its age. Even though there isn’t a way to know precisely how long your water damage problem has lingered, there are some ways to diagnose whether it is old or new.
Touch The Spot
When a wall or ceiling is affected by water damage, the feeling of it will completely change over time. If the wall has only recently started to be water damaged, it will still feel sturdy and strong, but a bit moist. However, if water damage has been afflicting a wall/ceiling for an extended period of time, it will actually start to feel spongy and weak. This is because the material of the wall has absorbed copious amounts of water. If the wall starts to feel squishy, it will need to be replaced immediately.
Look For Rings
Water damage will actually generate rings the longer that it is there, almost like a tree. This is because the wall/ceiling has been soaked and dried over and over several times. Therefore, if the water spot has no rings around it, this indicates that it is fairly new damage. On the other hand, the more rings that the water spots have, the older it is.
Examine The Materials
When water damage has occurred inside the walls or ceiling, the physical appearance will begin to alter. Paint will begin to peel, crack, or flake, indicating there is excess moisture somewhere near. Not only does the paint texture change, but the color will also change. The discoloration will begin appearing on the walls, often brown or darker in color.
Mold
This is one of the most incriminating pieces of water damage evidence is the appearance of mold growth. Mold cannot grow somewhere that isn’t damp, so just the sight of it should be a red flag. When moisture levels are high, it most commonly starts in the seams of ceilings or walls. If there has been enough time for mold to grow, that is a sign that water damage has been present for at least 2 or 3 days.
However, you don’t always have to see the mold to know that it is growing. Sometimes, you can notice its presence in a mildewy or moldy smell. Water sitting stagnant anywhere in space will begin to smell, especially when something is soaked in it. For example, water soaked in furniture, wood, or the walls will begin emitting this musty smell. When this smell is first noticed, it is imperative to track it to its source as best as possible to find the root cause.
If you notice that any of these signs are appearing in your home, no matter how old or new, contact professionals at PCS/PRS Southern to help you out. Water damage that is left untreated can take over a home with a multitude of problems including mold growth and structure unsoundness. Moreover, the longer it is left to reside within a home, the worse the problem will get. Water damage repair needs to happen immediately. PCS/PRS Southern is equipped to immediately tackle water damage repair so you never have to deal with its effects again.