Property damage brought about by water damage is every homeowner’s worst fear. Even if you’ve been through a this situation before and feel some-what versed – different categories of damage and scenarios can cause different threats.
While some minor incidents can be fixed remedied through a DIY, more extensive water damage cleanup and restoration calls for the professional supervision and equipment.
What’s the first step? Identify your category.
Category 1: Clean Water
The clean water category is damage from broken pipes, rainwater or an overflowing sink. The health risks with this category tend to low (as long as you responded quickly, should you let the damage exist for a long time – the health risk increases due to mold). Category 1 water damage, if left untreated for more than 48 hours, can expose you to different contaminants which can turn it into category 2.
Category 2: Greywater
Greywater is commonly sourced from equipment discharges, chemical wastes like detergent, laundry, and soap. This category of water contamination can range from mild to severe health risks. This substance, greywater, can promote microbial growth and can increase in severity over time. Both direct and indirect exposure to greywater damage can affect your health and property.
Category 3: Blackwater
Black water is water sourced from sewers, contains grease, oil, urine, or other harmful materials. This water is considered the highest health risk as it can hoard bacteria, viruses, and other toxic allergens, which makes it contagious. It is mandatory to exercise special caution when dealing with black water and to always hire professionals to remedy the damage.
Should any of your water damage be in close proximity to drywall or a crawlspace, you will want to contact us as soon as possible to ensure that the damage doesn’t continue to expand to other areas of the house or commercial property.