Whether or not you’re dutifully attending open homes in search of your subsequent house, or have lived in the identical one for many years, you need to at all times be looking out for water injury. That’s as a result of it’s greater than an eyesore: Water injury is an indication of a bigger drawback.
And when you come throughout water injury whereas searching for a brand new house—or spot an space affected by it that you just had by no means observed earlier than in your longtime house—you’ll need to work out whether or not it occurred just lately, or is a remnant of a previous drawback. Right here’s the best way to inform whether or not water injury is new or previous.
Find out how to inform whether or not water injury is new or previous
Figuring out whether or not water injury is latest or has been there for some time isn’t as a simple as you may suppose (except you’re an expert), however these methods can assist:
Contact it
Placed on a pair of gloves, protecting eyewear, and a face masks (there could also be mildew current) and gently press on an space with water injury. If it feels moist, however the drywall or ceiling behind it’s nonetheless agency, the injury might be new. But when the wall or ceiling is damp and squishy or spongy, the water has had an opportunity to soak in, and it’s possible older injury.
Search for rings
Like a tree, the extra rings an space with water injury has round it, the older it’s. Additionally take note of the colour of the rings: If there are a number of colours, it’s an indication that through the years, there have been a number of incidents that brought about water injury in the identical place. Single darkish spots with out rings are usually new.
Verify for mildew and decay
Mildew usually begins to develop on an space with water injury inside 48 hours, usually showing as small grey or black specs on partitions, flooring, or ceilings. If the mildew has had an opportunity to unfold past the realm instantly affected by water injury, it’s in all probability not new.
Equally, when you discover that elements of your house with water injury have began to decay or deteriorate, it’s an indication that not less than a few of it’s previous, and that the realm has possible flooded, or been the location of standing water a number of occasions previously.
Find out how to restore you house after water injury
Relying on what you discover out in regards to the water injury in your house (or potential house), you could must do some restore work—or rent somebody to do it for you.
This can be a subject Lifehacker has lined from a number of totally different angles, together with posts on every little thing you could do if your house has water injury, the best way to restore water injury in your house (and when to panic about it), and, as soon as the foundation trigger is taken care of, the best way to do away with water stains in your ceiling.
