How Long Before Flood Waters Start Damaging My Home?

Water from storm damage, flooding or a major leak will begin damaging your home right away. Once a significant amount of water is loose in your Lafayette home, it will rapidly spread and soak into carpeting, wood flooring, drywall walls, soft furniture and all porous materials nearby – beginning to destroy your personal property in a few minutes. Within the first 24-48 hours, the water begins to break down building materials rendering them non salvageable and mold will begin to develop and spread. Unaddressed standing water will begin to cause structural damage after a few days. 

Whether you have water intrusion from hurricane damage or you have a flood from a major pipe leak – you should move quickly to get the water professionally extracted by a water damage restoration professional and begin the structural drying process immediately.

Water spreads fast, soaking everything in its path. When exposed to water, paper goods disintegrate quickly, and porous materials absorb the moisture. All standing water needs to be professionally extracted. Non salvageable materials and contents need to be removed and disposed of. The remaining structure needs to be properly dried out. If a structure is not properly dried out following a water incident, residual moisture trapped under flooring, in wall voids or within the pore of building materials can continue to cause serious property damage and potentially mold growth over time. 

The length of time that your property is exposed to water matters because the time allotted after the water incident will determine the extent of the property damage and what it would take to restore a clean and safe home.

What Happens In The First 24 Hours After a Flood or Major Water Leak

Water saturated upholstery and carpet become water-logged and non salvageable. Once exposed to moisture drywall, insulation and other building materials will begin to swell, deteriorate and break down. Wood will begin to swell, metal objects will begin to tarnish, and colored or dyed fabrics' will begin to bleed. Laminated furniture begins to swell and/or split and finish can begin to crack. After 24 hours, paper goods will no longer be salvageable and will have to be disposed of. 

Once surfaces are exposed to moisture, mold can begin to develop as early as 24 hours in damp conditions, and spread as more time passes. Odors will also begin to permeate the interior, and you might begin to detect a damp/musty/sour/earthy odor. If you know at least 24 hours have passed since the water incident, you should consider consulting a professional mold inspector in Lafayette to conduct an assessment with mold testing to determine if mold remediation will be necessary in addition to the water damage cleanup. 

What Happens In The First 48 Hours After a Flood or Major Water Leak

If you still haven’t started the water damage cleanup efforts after 48 hours, mold growth has most certainly started to spread, and will likely be visible soon (if not already). At this point, you will almost certainly need at least some professional mold remediation with the cleanup. 

Warping and bending of wood will occur. Drywall, insulation, carpet, carpet padding, furniture, and other textile products will continue to deteriorate while metal objects will begin to rust and corrode. Contamination levels become a problem as microorganisms begin to develop in the water.

You will also begin to notice the following: 

• Furniture warps and begins to show signs of mold.
• Paint begins to blister.
• Adhesives begin to break down and release (i.e: peeling wallpaper, lifting finishes, etc.).
• Windows, doors , casings, and studs begin to swell and warp.
• Wood flooring begins to swell, warp, or buckle.
• Persons with respiratory concerns or compromised immune systems could experience distress or a heightened sensitivity to allergens from microbial growth.

What Happens if a Water Damage is Left Unaddressed for a Week or Longer 

If water damage is neglected for a week or longer, the necessary restoration efforts will be far more extensive, require much more time and cost significantly more than if the water was cleaned sooner. By now, most personal belongings, furniture and contents will not be salvageable and require disposal. Water damaged building materials will need to be removed and disposed of. Structural damage is likely inevitable. Mold and other hazardous microorganisms are now serious concerns, and they likely migrated and spread to previously clean and unaffected areas of the structure. 

After this much time, the home becomes a serious health and safety hazard. In addition to the risk of exposure to mold and other microorganisms, the structural integrity of the building has been undermined during the prolonged exposure to moisture. This becomes a serious safety risk. By this time, cracks in walls and ceilings, as well as buckling of floors, will be visible, necessitating reconstruction.