When you are dealing with water damage in your home, you don’t stop and consider the severity of flooded water. Your first thought is going to be who can help with the water damage removal in your local Missoula neighborhood and how quickly you can clean everything up, dry it off, and get things back to normal as soon as possible. But how can you be sure you are not putting yourself and your family in serious danger of category 3 floodwaters? You need to understand the various categories of flooded water and the risks each poses to your health and property. To understand more about these categories of water damage, continue reading.
Category 1 water damage refers to the flooding of water that originates from a sanitary source. This water does not pose any substantial risk from inhalation, dermal, or ingestion exposure. Examples of common water sources of category 1 water damage include:
While Category 1 water damage is the cleanest, if left untreated for a long time or comes into contact with any form of contamination, it can turn into a Category 2 or 3 scenario. You should always take care of Category 1 water damage as soon as possible to avoid it from getting worse. This is, in fact, a common rule of thumb for any type of water damage.
Category 2 water damage refers to the flooding of water that is contaminated in some way and could cause discomfort or disease if ingested. Examples of common water sources of category 2 water damage include:
In these circumstances, the water is likely contaminated with harmful bacteria and/or provides a conducive environment for their growth. Just like category 1, category 2 water damage can quickly turn into a category 3 incident if not handled promptly.
Category 3/black water is the highest level of water damage. It refers to the flooding of water that is severely contaminated and has pathogenic, toxigenic, or other hazardous substances. It can cause serious health issues if inhaled, touched, or ingested. Examples of common sources of category 3 water damage include:
When category 3 water damage happens, it can damage many items and materials beyond repair. On top of that, your home will need to be thoroughly disinfected after drying to make sure there is no future health risk.
Our professionals at Five Valley’s Restoration can assist you with any type or class of water damage you may have. For category 3 disasters, we provide sewage cleanup as well as basic water removal. Call Five Valley’s Restoration 1 today to find out how our restoration procedure can benefit you.
