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Know the 3 categories of contaminated water that can occur with a water damage in your Dutchess County home.
4/3/2019 (Permalink)
Regular water that happens to be pouring out of duct work? Nope! This is Category 2 as it traveled and affected many areas of the home.
When dealing with water damage in your Western Dutchess County home or business, there are a lot of things to think about.
One of the key questions our experts will need to know is if the water affected more than one area or floor? It’s important for us to know what we might be working with and if contaminated water is part of it. This might not be the case for your loss, but our Production Managers will determine the extent when they’re onsite.
There are 3 categories of contaminated water that we take into consideration:
Category 1: Source of water that does not pose substantial threat to humans and classified as "clean water". Things like a broken water supply line, tub or sink overflows or appliance malfunctions are generally a Category 1.
Category 2: Contains a significant degree of chemical, biological or physical contaminants and can cause discomfort or sickness when consumed or even exposed to, known as "grey water". This type carries micro-organisms and nutrients of micro-organisms. Examples are toilet bowls with urine (no feces), sump pump failures, and water discharge from dishwashers or washing machines.
Category 3: Known as "black water" and is grossly unsanitary. This water contains polluted agents, harmful bacteria and fungi, and can cause severe discomfort or sickness. These contaminated water sources that affect the indoor environment and includes water sources from sewage, seawater, rising water from rivers or streams, ground surface water or standing water. Category 2 Water or Grey Water that is not promptly removed from the structure and/or has remained stagnant may be re-classified as Category 3 Water. Toilet back flows that originates from beyond the toilet trap is considered black water contamination no matter what color it is or what content is in it.
This photo is an example of water damage that started in the 3rd floor of the home, traveled through sheet rock, insulation and hard wood floors (which have laminate on them) and finally came out through the ducts in the basement. This water was classified as Category 2 as it was loaded with physical contaminants.
Our water damage remediation experts at SERVPRO are certified by the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification and follow their precise protocols and procedures for cleaning and disposing of this contaminated water.
Water damage? Call SERVPRO of Western Dutchess County at (845)831-3600 and we’ll be by your side through it all. We’ll get you the answers you need and the team of experts on the job quickly and help ease the stress of the situation. Our team is faster to any size disaster!