SERVPRO of Santa Cruz: Categorizing your Water Damage

10/25/2019 (Permalink)

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Effectively mitigating water damage takes more than extraction and ventilation. There is much more a mitigation company accomplishes than merely placing drying equipment and applying various products to resolve a moisture problem. Our IICRC SERVPRO certified professionals have studied the science of structure drying and understand how to perform various principles to attain the drying goal while ensuring no contaminates are left behind.

The amount of water, the source of the damage, and the possible contaminates within the water are essential factors involved in your property’s damage and help to determine the category of the loss and how to treat it. It is also important to understand that the category of a loss will worsen depending on the cleanliness of the area being flooded, the temperature in the affected environment, and the length of time that lapsed without properly mitigating the damage.

• Category 1 – Clean Water: Clean water derives from a sanitary water source that possesses no significant hazards if exposed to people. Examples of a Category 1 loss can include an overflow from a bathtub or sink faucet left running unattended, leaks from defective appliances like refrigerators supply line, or a falling rainwater. Less health risk are linked with Category 1 water losses.

• Category 2 – Grey Water: The danger of health risks increase with Grey Water losses due to the potential of higher levels of pollutants present within the water when a person is exposed to it. Contaminates can include microorganisms, chemicals, urine, and mold. Some examples of category 2 water may include an overflow from a washing machine, overflow from a clogged toilet with some urine but no feces, or leaking aquariums. Category 2 water can look “dirty” and may be more translucent. Due to rapid development of bacteria and mold, leaving Category 2 losses unmitigated could leave your property vulnerable to secondary damage.

• Category 3 – Black Water: Highly unsanitary, Black Water carries disease causing organisms, toxins, and waste that can cause considerable health problems to humans if exposed. Black water does not necessarily need to appear the color black visually to be categorized as such. Sewer back-ups, contaminated toilet overflows, and floodwaters from the oceans, rivers, or lakes would all be Category 3 water damages. Because black water can be associated with serious health diseases, it is vital to wear proper personal protection equipment while mitigating these losses. Porous materials such as drywall, flooring, and upholstery would be recommended to be discarded if affected. Specific agents would be used for sanitization of affected surfaces.

 
SERVPRO of Santa Cruz has technicians on standby day and night to respond to your water damage needs. Call us at 831-457-1997 when disaster strikes!