Levels of Water Damage

7/14/2022 (Permalink)

Water Categories

Oh no! You had a pipe break or a supply line break or you have flood damage in your home from something else. It's easy to look around at everything that needs mitigation and restoration and panic. However, a better idea is to contact a water damage restoration company. The first thing they will do is determine just how much damage the water in your home or business has done, so they can get you fixed and back to normal life as soon as possible.

Water Damage Classes

Most water damage restoration companies classify your flood damage according to three categories. These help them determine the kind of mitigation you will need, and how much restoration will be necessary.

Class 1 water damage in your flooded home or business means that only part of one room was affected and that relatively little water has been absorbed. This is the easiest to fix when it comes to water cleanup and drying.

Class 2 damage means that the water in your home or business affected an entire room, and has probably gotten into the walls and carpet. The restoration company will have to use more drastic methods when it comes to drying and mitigation.

Class 3 water damage means that the water in your business or home has absorbed up the walls, and even potentially into the ceiling. It can also mean that the pipe break or water supply line break that caused the flooding may have gotten water inside the walls, where water cleanup is more difficult.

What Kind of Water is in Your Flooded Home or Business?

After your restoration company assesses the amount of damage, they will also assess the type and cleanliness of the water in your business or your home. This tells them how concerned they need to be about bacteria and other microbes growing in the water.

Category 1 water in your home means that your flood damage was caused mostly by clean water. Water from a pipe break or supply line break is generally of this sort. There is little danger of microbes in your flooded home or business, as long as it gets cleaned up quickly.

Category 2 water requires more mitigation. This is water that may be slightly dirty, like a toilet that overflows with urine in it. The water also may contain chemicals, like laundry detergent after your washer leaks. This category can require a different kind of water cleanup or drying procedure.

Category 3 water is dirty. If your sewage pipe breaks or the water in your home or business came from a river overflow, this is the category it will fall into. This can be dangerous and requires immediate water cleanup for your flooded home or business.