Water Damage Falls into Three Catagories

9/10/2019 (Permalink)

When water damage occurs in your home or business, it can be grouped into one of three categories. Below are the common characteristics that professionals use to classify water damage into these three categories. 

Category 1:

Water that came from a clean, sanitary source. this type of water damage can stem from:

-water from an appliance supply line leak

- interior home pipe burst

Even if a loss was originally classified as a Category 1 loss, if the "dwell time" (how long the water sits,) exceeds 48 or more hours, the water would become a Category 2

Category 2:

Water that may contain contaminants that have the potential to cause sickness. This category might have potentially unsafe levels of microbial and bacterial growth. Some examples may include:

- A clean source that has sat for longer than 48 hours

- dishwasher or washing machine leak

- water that has traveled through ceilings or layers of insulation

Category 3:

Otherwise known as "black water." Can contain high level of pollutants and any number of bacteria and toxins. Examples of this Category include:

- Sewage

- Flood Water

- Roof Leaks