What Happens If Water Damage is Left Untreated?

Water is one of our planet’s most valuable resources. It sustains life, keeps us hydrated, and nourishes crops. However, when water enters our homes or workplaces through floods, leaks, or whichever means, it can quickly become a nightmare, inflicting severe damage on your property and health if left untreated.

Moreover, fixing water damage can prove costly, with property owners spending millions of dollars on fixing water damage every year. It’s estimated that just an inch of standing water requires at least $4000 to remove. And according to the Insurance Information Institute, one in 50 insured houses files a water damage claim every year.

In this post, we’ll look at what happens when water damage goes untreated and the importance of addressing it as soon as possible.

Content Table:

1. Timeframe for Water Damage
2. The Severity of Water Damage
3. What to Do About Water Damage

So, buckle up, and let’s get right into it!

Timeframe for Water Damage

It can take from a few hours to just a few minutes of water exposure for damage to occur. However, the severity of the damage is determined by several factors—the duration of exposure, the volume of water, and the type of water. For instance, dirty water from sewage will likely inflict more damage than clean water from a broken pipe.

But irrespective of the water type, allowing water to sit for an extended period could bring about significant damage. It could leak into floors, walls, and ceilings, causing mold growth and structural issues. Sometimes, the damage could worsen, leading to fires, electrical hazards, and other safety concerns.

Addressing water damage as early as possible is critical to avoid subsequent health risks and limit the damage extent. Our experts can assess the issue, remove the water, and restore the damaged sections if necessary.

How Quickly Does Mold Grow After Water Damage?

Mold may form within 24 to 48 hours of exposure to water damage. And with mold spores being virtually everywhere in our surroundings, they can stick to surfaces in your residence or workplace. They do, however, need moisture to thrive. So, water infiltrating a structure simply means the ideal habitat for mold to thrive.

It’s no secret that mold can bring about significant health issues, particularly for those with asthma, allergies, or a weak immune system. Mold exposure can cause symptoms such as skin irritation, wheezing, and coughing. Even worse, it could encourage infections and other severe respiratory problems. 

The Severity of Water Damage

The severity of water damage may vary based on the volume of the water, the source, and how long it has been in contact with surfaces. Damage from a freshwater source, such as a leaky pipe, may seem trivial initially. But if left untreated, it might escalate to a more severe stage, such as when the water seeps into porous materials leading to mold growth.

On the contrary, water damage from a flooding disaster or sewage overflow can prove far more severe, necessitating specialized restoration and cleanup, not to mention health hazards it can bring on with itself. 

Signs of Serious Water Damage

• Structural damage: Water left untreated for a lengthy period can compromise the building’s structural integrity, creating fissures and potentially even causing foundation to shift. 
• Mold growth: As mentioned earlier, untreated water damage can provide optimal conditions for mold growth. This can be harmful to your health and must be resolved promptly. If its not at first clearly visible on the surface, musty odors are usually a clear sign of mold.
• Discoloration: Water damage can be identified through bubbling, discoloration, or stains on the ceilings or walls.
• Buckled or swollen floors: Water damage can cause buckling or swelling of wood floors. This may require floor replacement.   
• Drooping or sagging ceilings: Water accumulation in the ceiling can make the ceiling droop or sag.

Dangers of Water Damage

Water damage can have dire implications on residential and commercial properties alike, not to mention the health of those who reside in them. To further elaborate, water damage:

• Ruins Ceilings and Walls

Even with multiple layers of wall paint, water can still seep through and degrade sheetrock in ceilings and walls, causing them to crack, swell, and become mold-infested.

• Compromises Your Electrical Systems

Exposure of your electrical wiring, fuse boxes, or outlets to water can pose a grave risk to your family’s and property’s safety. Rather than addressing flood damage, you may find yourself having to deal with a deadly fire hazard.

Always employ an expert to inspect every electrical system that has come into contact with water. And remember to avoid using your lights or electrical outlets until a technician arrives.

• Cripples Your Home’s Structural Integrity

Water damage can jeopardize a house’s structural integrity by compromising the floors, walls, and ceilings, causing foundation damage and rot in materials such as wood. 

• Poses Serious Health Risks

Floodwaters can include harmful bacteria which can make your family or employees sick. It could also bear other contaminants, such as toxic waste, chemical pollutants, etc., which could make your property smell terrible and pose serious health risks.

• Decreases the Value of Your Home

Water damage can cause a significant mold problem. Mold stains can be hard to paint over or cover up, and an appraiser will likely notice them during an inspection. This might lower your property’s value and render it harder to sell.

Your Go-To Business for Water Damage Restoration in Las Vegas, Nevada

Dealing with water damage can prove to be a stressful and terrible experience for any property owner or manager. However, its effects can be mitigated by taking immediate action.

How to deal with water damage? Calling a specialist is always the best choice! Our team of experts at Precise Water Damage Restoration of Las Vegas is ready 24/7 if you need help with water extraction, decontamination, structural repair and drying, odor removal, and other restoration services. So, contact us today for your emergency damage restoration needs in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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How Long Does Water Damage Take To Dry Out?

Water damage is one of the biggest threats to homeowners and is unfortunately a matter of when rather than if, especially in Las Vegas, with flash floods being commonplace throughout the city and rest of the Clark County. 

So how long does it take for water damage to completely dry out?

It typically takes an average of five days for the water to dry. However, the drying time depends on the drying process used and the extent of the water damage, among other things.

What caused the damage, what was impacted, and how long the area remained damp are all critical considerations. Depending on these factors, drying can take as little as a day or as long as seven to ten days. On the other hand, severe water damage can take a few weeks to dry up fully. 

But this is just a short brief. There are, as mentioned above, many factors to consider. In this article you’ll learn specifically what those factors are and much more. 

Content Table:

1. How Does Water Damage Happen?
2. What Damage Can The Water Cause?
3. What Are The Factors That Impact Drying Times?
4. How to Dry Out Water Damage?
5. Should You Do It Yourself or Hire a professional?

Having that said, let’s dive right in!

How Does Water Damage Happen?

Water damage occurs in different ways, and these determine the subtleness or severity of the damage caused.

The most common causes include the following:

Severe Weather

This includes hurricanes, thunderstorms, and other natural occurrences that happen occasionally. Las Vegas, with its rapid urbanization and desert landscape, is highly vulnerable to flooding, especially from July to September.

Strong winds and heavy downpours have the potential to damage your roof, sending rainwater into your home or building.

Clogged Gutters

You should always ensure your gutters are well-maintained and clean. Over time dirt, leaves, and other debris find their way to your gutters. If these buildup, they hinder water from flowing through the gutters as it should. 

When it rains, the excess water will flow over the edges of the gutter. This can damage the ceiling, floors, and walls of the house.

Leaking Pipes

Sometimes water damage happens from inside the house. Leaking pipes are an example of this.

For example, a loose or damaged pipe could leak water into the cabinets under the sink. A broken or leaky pipe that runs through a wall can also cause water damage. This would then cause additional complications because if it goes on for a while, mold also becomes a concern.

Washing Machine Water Supply Line Leak

Washing machines are fed by water supply lines that are under constant pressure. If these lines are made of PVC or rubber, they are susceptible to wear and tear and can even rupture.

If the system is compromised and the water is not shut down, your entire laundry area can be covered in water within minutes.

Condensation from the AC

The moisture from condensation in your AC is routed to a drain pan and out of your property through a condensate drain line. If the condensate drain line is clogged or the drain pan is damaged, water can leak from your AC and into your home. 

This can damage the floor, carpet, and the room’s furniture.

Other Causes of Water Damage

Aside from the above, the following can also cause water damage:

• Malfunctioning sprinkler system
• A leak in the water heater
• Faulty plumbing systems
• Leaking appliances
• Blocked toilets

What Damage Can The Water Cause?

Water damage has varying outcomes depending on where the water lands. The types of damage include:

• Soiling furniture and carpet
• Swelling of composite woods
• Encouraging mold growth
• Rusting of steel
• Short-circuiting of electrical devices
• Damaging building materials
• Pest infestation

This damage can happen gradually over time or all at once. For example, water will rush down near the foundation if it rains heavily and your gutter breaks. 

However, if you have a small pipe leak under the sink, the water will slowly dribble down and begin forming water spots in the cabinet. Left untreated, the wood will begin to rot.

What Are The Factors That Impact Drying Times?

As mentioned earlier, the drying process can take from a few days to several weeks. The timeline is determined by several factors, including:

The Types of Materials Affected

Some materials are easier to dry out than others, depending on how absorbent they are.

The Severity of the Water Damage

Minor water damage is faster and easier to resolve than severe water damage.

For example, your roof caving in during a storm will leave more damage to your home than a slow leak. Resolving the latter will be much faster.

Drying Process Used

You can manually dry out water damage by opening windows and drying soaked items out in the sun. The other route is to use professional restoration services with water-drying equipment. 

The latter will deliver much faster drying because professional equipment can create an environment to efficiently and thoroughly dry out water damage. These include warm and dry air, increased air circulation, and so on. 

How to Dry Out Water Damage?

You can dry out water damage naturally by drying the soiled items outside. In this case, factors like temperature, evaporation, air circulation, and humidity come into play.

The tricky bit about this is that you have no control over how these factors come together, so you mainly rely on luck.

Also, damp items may have soaked up contaminated water, which is something you definitely don’t want to come into contact with. 

Alternatively, you can hire a professional water damage restoration company to manage the drying process. With equipment and know-how required to fix water damage, your home or office will be quickly restored to its previous form.

Should You Do It Yourself or Hire a professional?

It’s often tempting to attempt and fix water damage by yourself. However, it’s best to hire a water damage restoration professional to handle the task.

Here are the main few reasons why it’s extremely important to hire a professional;

1. Location, Source, and Extent of Damage

The trickiest part about water damage is identifying the water source and determining how much damage you have on your hands. 

Unfortunately, DIY water damage resolution only focuses on drying out the damaged items. This addresses the symptom, not the cause of problem itself. An experienced professional will conduct an audit and fix the issue, over and above drying the affected area.

2. Professional Grade Drying Equipment

Career water damage restorers have state-of-the-art drying aids including air movers, shop vacs, high-powered fans, and dehumidifiers. These encourage evaporation and draw water and excess moisture out of your home’s structural elements and furniture.

3. Minimized Health Risks

Standing water carries some inherent health risks. Water contaminated with bacteria, sewage, and other microorganisms could negatively impact your health.

Professionals have a good understanding of what these are and the specific protocols to follow.

4. Cost Savings

Once you make the call, reputable companies will act quickly to begin water damage restoration. This helps mitigate the situation early, as any time wasted means even more extensive damage.

So while the cost of getting professional help might seem unnecessary, shortening the restoration timeline saves you from more expensive repairs and replacements. In addition to this, sudden and accidental water damage is also covered by insurance so many times you’re not going to even be the one paying the bill. 

Water Damage Restoration Company Las Vegas NV

Suffered water damage?

If so, don’t panic.

At Precise Water Damage Restoration of Las Vegas, we understand the despair that comes with water damage. Luckily, we have seen it all and have learned to manage preserving seemingly unsalvageable water-damaged rooms and items over the years.

Once you ensure everyone is safe, contact us immediately, and let us begin the repair process and get your life back to normalcy.

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