Water Damage Can Be Invisible

2/6/2020 (Permalink)

Have you ever seen the disappearing water trick where a magician causes water that’s poured into a cup to magically vanish, as if into thin air? (Spoiler alert: sodium polyacrylate, the stuff in disposable diapers, is first put in the bottom of the cup to soak up the water!)

But water can still disappear even without any “magic” involved. It’s very adept at hiding and can be almost invisible. It sometimes hides so effectively that it can’t be detected unless special moisture meters are used. Why do you need to know this? Because even though water is essential for life, it’s also one the most destructive elements that can attack your north Georgia home or business.

It Can Run…

Water can be elusive because of the way it moves. It spreads out like the letter "T" – moving out and downward from its source. Even if water looks to be setting still, it really isn’t. Gravity continues to pull it down into the surface of the material it’s resting on. And as it moves, it spreads and soaks into whatever porous (allowing liquid or air to pass through) materials it encounters. But after spreading out and down it has another trick up its sleeve. It can also move up. It does this by wicking action. For example, water sitting at the bottom of drywall can wick up the wall at a rate of one inch per hour for the first 24 hours!

Because of water’s meandering ways it can easily hide inside insulation, behind walls and cabinets and in subfloors. Even if a surface feels dry, there may still be moisture hiding underneath or inside of it. What this can mean for your north Georgia home or business is that secondary damage like mold or warping may occur. It can even ruin expensive hardwood floors.

But it Can’t Hide

If you have, or even if you suspect you may have water damage, it’s highly important that a professional from SERVPRO of Union, Towns, Fannin & Gilmer Counties comes out and tests for moisture with specialized moisture meters and thermal imaging cameras. With this equipment we’ll be able to locate the confines of the affected area and show you the scope of the damage. Then our techs will go to work removing and drying the moisture to ensure that no further damage occurs, making it “Like it never even happened."

Why do we do this? Because water can’t hide from SERVPRO of Union, Towns, Fannin & Gilmer Counties!