Recognizing Water Damage Types and Classes

Water damage in your house can be unpleasant, but it isn't always as terrible as it appears. True, all water damage need restoration; but, certain situations are less severe and necessitate less labor to fix. When water damage is ignored or not properly addressed, it may cause irrevocable damage to the structure of your house, which is why you should contact a water damage repair business as soon as you see any signs of water damage. It's also critical to realize that there are many kinds and categories of water damage, each with differing degrees of severity. Continue reading to discover more about the types and classifications of water damage, as well as how to recognize and handle them.

There are several forms of floods that may occur, each with varying degrees of severity. There are three classifications of water: 

• Clean water (category 1)
• Gray water (category 2) 
• Black water (category 3) 

Before you clean up the debris, you should think about the type of water.

Category 1 Water Damage: Clear Water

Category 1 water is regarded as safe. It normally originates from your home's pipes and cannot hurt you by making you ill or doing anything else. When pipes in the home break or you forget about a running faucet in your home, clean water can result. This water is safe to drink.  Water damage cleaning services are not needed when you have a category 1 flood in your house because the water is not harmful. Unless you lack the necessary tools, you can clear the floods yourself.

Category 2 Water Damage: Gray Water

Water in Category 2 water damage is polluted in some form and might cause discomfort or disease if consumed. Grey water can be produced by a washing machine overflow, a toilet overflow containing urine, or a dishwasher overflow. In these instances, the water most likely includes hazardous amounts of germs and/or a favorable environment for microbial development. Similar to Category 1, these problems can swiftly grow into Category 3 if not handled appropriately and promptly.

Category 3 Water Damage: Black Water

Category 3 water is known as black water and is extremely harmful. If this sort of flooding occurs in your home, you should have a water damage cleaning agency clean it up. This form of flooding may contain excrement from a sewage or toilet backlog, or it may be water from a rising river. In either case, a professional should clean this sort of flooding since consuming it might result in death or severe disease.

Water Damage Classifications

When evaluating water damage restoration alternatives, the kind of damage is critical.

Class 1 damage is the least destructive type of damage. This form of degradation causes materials to absorb relatively little water. In this sort of case, water damage restoration is the simplest.

Because Class 2 has a high rate of evaporation, carpets and cushions may be harmed. Water damage healing becomes more difficult when there is class 2 damage.

Class 3 has the fastest evaporation rate. Water may have soaked the walls and furnishings in this situation due to faulty sprinklers or other above sources.

Class 4 necessitates specialized water repair and removal processes. This sort of damage can cause problems with hardwood flooring, plaster, and concrete.