Unaddressed water damage can wreak havoc on your Middle Tennessee property. It can destroy the structural integrity of your home, causing major property damage and even causing potential mold development. Unfortunately, water damage & intrusion is not always obvious until it is too late.
I’m Chris Parks with North Star Services, LLC and I’m going to share some important signs that indicate you have hidden water damage.
What Are the Signs?
Staining: Dark stains on wood, drywall, ceilings & floors are an indicator of water damage. When water damage gets so severe that it starts seeping through your building materials causing staining, you know there is a problem.
Swelling: As water absorbs into building materials, these porous surfaces can begin to swell, causing separation of adjacent materials & surfaces. Check your baseboards & doorways for separations, as these areas are most prone to it. A telltale sign is if a door is slowly becoming more difficult to open and close.
Damaged Wall Finishes: As water within your home’s wall or ceiling saturates the porous building materials, it will compromise adhesion to the wall finishes. This can cause your wall finishes, whether paint or wallpaper, to peel, bubble, or crack.
Condensation: Patches of condensation on walls & ceilings are a telltale sign that there is excess moisture hidden in a wall or ceiling. This hidden water damage may be the result of a leak, excess humidity, or even poor ventilation.
Sagging Walls & Ceilings: Hidden water damage can weigh on your home’s ceilings & walls. Eventually, over-saturated drywall & ceiling materials may begin to sag & deform under pressure. This can pose a huge safety hazard if they were to collapse.
Musty Odors: Hidden water damage can easily create an ideal breeding ground for mold. This produces a musty, distinct odor. Mold can not survive without a water source, so if this odor is present in your property and you can’t identify the source, it is more than likely the result of hidden water damage.
Signs of Mold: With an adequate water source, mold can begin to develop in as little as 24 to 48 hours. If you suspect hidden water damage or unseen mold growth in your Middle TN home, contact a local professional mold remediation company, such as North star Services, LLC, to find the problem. Professional mold inspectors will be able to identify & isolate the hidden water damage that is causing the mold to develop, as well as develop a scope of work for remediation & dry out.
Removing the Hidden Water
Removing the source of the hidden water damage, along with actively remediating the mold issue will ensure that mold doesn’t make its way back in once it is gone.
Request A Free Inspection Today
When water or mold damage occurs to your residential or commercial property, contact North Star Services, LLC — a certified IICRC restoration and remediation company with over 20 years’ experience in Nashville, Berry Hill & Middle Tennessee. We provide free mold, crawl space and restoration inspections, and are available 24/7, 365 days a year for emergencies such as water damage, fire damage, flood and storm damage and more. Contact us at 629-221-0638 or request a free estimate now.