There are three important categories to help restoration contractors and insurance adjusters determine the work area and procedures that will be necessary to achieve a safe and effective flood or water restoration of structures and contents. Water damage restoration falls into three basic categories for a typical water damage project.

category 1 – clean water.

Some examples of clean water sources may include: broken pipes, bathtub overflows, sink overflows, many appliance malfunctions, falling rain, broken toilet tanks, and even toilets in some cases.

category 2 – gray water.

Gray or unhealthy water contains some degree of contamination. Some examples of contaminated “gray” water may include: overflow from a dishwasher, washing machine or toilet, a broken aquarium, and perhaps a perforated water bed. Gray water in flooded structures is significantly aggravated by time and temperature.

category 3 – sewage.

Very unhealthy and extremely unhealthy “black” water arises from large amounts of sewage entering a structure. This category also includes all forms of groundwater surface that arise from rivers or streams, as well as seawater. This will also include all forms of sewage overflow or damage. In situations where the structural components and / or contents have been heavily contaminated with materials such as pesticides, heavy metals, or toxic organic substances, the damage caused by water is known to be “black” water.

If you are unlucky enough to find any of the listed damages. The proper protocol is to start the antibacterial drying, cleaning and disinfection process as soon as possible. Therefore, much of the structure and substructure can be salvaged from any further damage.