Water Damage - Categories of Water Loss

In a water loss situation it is critical to understand what kind of water you are working with.  The water that comes from a broken water line in the house and has affected a wall and carpet is different from water coming up from a drain in the floor.  If the water sits in the carpet for three days it may change from a category 1 to category 2 or 3.  The risk of bio-hazards becomes part of the assessment process.  This assessment of water damage is critical for the home or business owner as well the restoration professional.  The commonly termed categories for water damage have led to some misconceptions.  Let's look at the terminology:

• Category 1 - Clean Water
• Category 2 - Gray Water
• Category 3 - Black Water

One could assume that if the water is "clear" then it is safe.  If you see water that is coming up from the floor drain and it is clear don't necessarily think that water contaminated materials are thus safe for handling.  After all, would you wash your hands in a toilet bowel and then eat a sandwich!  Probably not (I Hope!). The category definitions are more complex than we often think and this affects the decision process for everyone involved.

The categories as defined by the IICRC can be found on this link.  The categories are also described by Dri-Eaz on their web site.  I find the description from the IICRC website helpful as a summary:

"Category 1 Water – That which is clean at the releasing source and does not pose a hazard if consumed by humans. Category 1 water may become progressively contaminated as it mixes with soils on or within floor coverings or building assemblies (walls, decking, subflooring). Time and temperature, which promote the growth and amplification of microorganisms in water can cause Category 1 water to degrade. Examples: burst water pipes, failed supply lines on appliances, vertically falling rainwater.

Category 2 Water – That which begins with some degree of contamination and could cause sickness or discomfort if consumed by humans. As with Category 1 water, time and temperature can cause Category 2 water to become progressively more contaminated.

Category 3 Water – That which is highly contaminated and could cause death or serious illness if consumed by humans. Examples: sewage, rising flood water from rivers and streams, ground surface water flowing horizontally into homes. There are two ways in which water enters a building as a result of wind storm damage:
The first involves falling or windblown rainwater that enters as a result of damage to roof components or wall assemblies. The second involves horizontally traveling ground surface water (Category 3) containing silt and soil contaminants that infiltrate into structures, generally through doors or around foundation walls. This ground surface water (storm surge) may accumulate to a depth of several inches or several feet. When structures are partially submerged or remain substantially flooded for weeks, far more elaborate procedures usually are required."

A fuller discussion can be found in the IICRC S500 Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Water Damage Restoration, Second Edition gives a description on page 3 which we at Super Bee use as our guideline.

For The Home Or Business Owner

My training has shown me that we often take water losses less seriously than mould remediation.  We shouldn't as the dangers are grave.  If the water you see on your basement floor has come from a broken water line or is seeping in from the walls, you can use towels or a wet-vacuum to try and mitigate the waters encroachment on the rest of the room.  Using a wet vacuum is not going to fully remove the moisture from the carpet.  Just because the carpet may feel somewhat dry on top doesn't necessarily mean that the pad is dry.  Call in a professional!  I have had to do remediation in houses where the homeowner thought he had dried the carpet but in a week they had a musty smell in their basement.  By then it was mould and an even more serious problem. 

For The Restoration Professional

For the restoration professional the assessment of the category of water loss is important in your safety decisions as well as remediation decisions.  I find sometimes that customers may try to persuade you to just clean a carpet which has been exposed to sewage from a backup from a floor drain.  Remember that you are the professional and therefore liable for your decisions even if someone should in this circumstance sign a waver.