Water damage to your home or place of business
can be a traumatic experience. Matters are quickly made much
worse by slowed response time. The faster you take action, the
less your total damages may be. Contact MasterDry, LLC immediately. We
have 24- hour emergency service and we will quickly have your
home or business back in its proper state.
According to the IICRC Standard and Reference Guide for Professional
Water Damage Restoration (IICRC S500), there are three categories
of water that cause damage in buildings. They are summarized as
follows:
Category 1
“Clean Water” |
A clean water source is one that does not pose substantial
harm to humans. Examples of clean water sources may include
broken water supply lines, tub or sink overflows with no contaminants,
appliance malfunctions involving water supply lines, melting
ice or falling rain water (not that which flows over the soil),
broken toilet tanks and even toilet bowls that do not contain
contaminants or additives. |
Category 2
“Gray Water” |
Unsanitary or gray water contains some degree of contamination. Potentially,
it could cause substantial discomfort or sickness if consumed
by humans, and it carries microorganisms or nutrients for microorganisms. Category
2 water examples may include discharge from dishwashers or
washing machines, overflows from washing machines, overflows
of toilet bowls with some urine (no feces), broken aquariums
and punctured water beds. All these may contain chemicals
or biocontaminants. Time and temperature aggravate Category
2 water contamination significantly. Water in flooded
structures that remains untreated longer than 48 hours can
change from Category 2 to Category 3. |
Category 3
“Black Water” |
Category 3 black water always contains pathogenic agents. Grossly
unsanitary, black water sources are those that arise from sewage
or other contaminated water entering a structure. Sewage
contains the expected urine and feces; but it also could contain
dangerous chemicals or medical wastes. Toilet backflows
that originate from beyond the toilet trap are considered to
be Category 3 water situations, regardless of visible content
or color. This category includes all forms of sea water,
ground surface water, and rising water from rivers or streams. They
carry silt and organic matter into structures and create Category
3 black water situations. In situations where structural
materials and / or contents have been heavily contaminate with
such materials as pesticides, heavy metals or toxic organic
substances, the water damage is considered to be Category 3
water. These water damages are considered highly contaminated
and could cause death or serious illness if consumed by humans. |
