What Does It All Mean?

8/5/2020 (Permalink)

Just like hurricanes with CAT1-CAT5 and tornadoes with EF0-EF5 classifications, water damages are no different. In fact, when it comes to assessing water damages there are 2 sets of classifications that have to be determined even before the mitigation process begins. First, the category must be determined. There are three categories of water damage. Category 1 is referred to as clean water, which means the water does not pose a health risk to humans. Examples include sink overflows or broken appliance supply lines. The second category is called Category 2 and is commonly referred to as gray water. This means that the water is now contaminated and may cause sickness if consumed. Examples of this are broken toilets or broken sump pumps. The final category is Category 3, knows as black water. This type of water is unsanitary and will cause sickness if ingested, like sewage water or standing water.

The second type classification is called Classes and there are 4 levels. Class 1 is the least harmful and it simply means that the affected materials absorb very little of the water. At this class mitigation is quick and easy. Class 2 means that there is a faster rate of absorption and materials like carpets and rugs may be damaged. Mitigation is a little difficult and require more resources for drying. Class 3 has the highest rate of absorption which means affected materials are completely soaked including floors and ceilings. Finally, Class 4 is considered a special class since it requires extensive water removal procedures and demolition of affected materials.