The Three Categories Of Water Damage: What You Need To Know For Cleanup

Water damage comes in a variety of different forms. Before beginning the restoration process, it’s important that you are aware of the severity of the damage in your home. This will allow you to ensure the restoration process is handled most effectively. While these categories don’t capture the full scope of potential damage, they focus on the level of contamination in the floodwater which is one of the most important determinants of how severe the damage is. Here are three different categories of water damage according to our restoration experts at Rumsey Construction in Columbia, SC.

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Category 1 Water Damage

Also associated with clean water, this is the least severe type of water damage. The floodwater contains no contaminants which means it is basically composed of water that is safe enough to drink. However, don’t let this fool you into thinking you can put off taking definitive action. If floodwater is left long enough to fester in a home, it will eventually begin to develop bacteria and spread mold elevating the damage to Category 2 water damage causing more trouble and expenses over the long run.

Example: Water spilling out of your sink because of a clog is a good example of Category 1 water damage. A leaky refrigerator due to an overactive ice maker also fits the description.

Category 2 Water Damage

Category 2 water damage is also known as flooding from grey water. Grey water is significantly more problematic than clean water since it contains a minor to moderate degree of contamination. While you shouldn’t expect contact with grey water to cause any extremely major health problems, you should not take its presence lightly. Thus, category 2 water damage cleanup should only be handled by trained restoration professionals with the training and equipment needed to work in hazardous situations.

Example: Category 2 water damage includes water from appliances like toilets, washing machines, and sump pump backups.

Category 3 Water Damage

Category 3 water damage (also known as black water) is by far the worst type of damage you can have in your home. It is composed of either raw sewage or harsh chemicals that can cause serious health problems, even death, for those exposed. The threat of black water should always be taken seriously, and you should let only trained restoration professionals work in your home if it suffers from Category 3 water damage.

Example: The most common example of this is a sewage backup that floods your home with stinky, hazardous sewage.

At Rumsey Construction and Restoration in Columbia, our water damage cleanup experts have dealt with all different types of water damage. They will know exactly what to do to  diagnose your home after a flood and take the most appropriate measures to restore the damage. If your home ever floods, don’t hesitate to give us a call for help and we will be right out to your home with our 24/7 emergency cleanup responses services.