Water Damage Categories, Causes, and Solutions

There are various reasons due to which water damage may happen on the basis of which the experts have defined three major categories. These water damage categories vary in severity and extent of the problem they cause to the home. The causes and solutions to various categories are also different from each other. Water damage affects floor, carpets, rugs, walls, ceilings and other items in both domestic environments. It is, therefore, important to keep an open eye and performing of regular assessment tests so that the problem can be effectively cleaned and controlled in the bud.

Analyzing the category of water damage is the first thing that should be done so that the most suitable solution can be applied to it. There are different kinds of damage, which have been categorized on the basis of causing factors. We have stated three common water damage categories for the understanding of the readers.

Category 1: Clean Water

The first category is due to clean water. Water leakage from the plumbing system, water storage reservoir, rain or garden water may cause this type of damage. It affects the building to a greater extent but the presence of contaminants is less in clean water so severe health hazards are avoided. Performing a clean remedy is simplest among all sorts of water damage categories since in this case only water and moisture needs to be removed. The removal of water and humidity can be performed with the help of standard procedures.

Category 2 – Gray Water

The second category is known as gray water damage. This kind of damage is caused by the leakage of water from toilets, broken sump pumps, and seepage of street canals. This damage category can cause health problems and contamination at home since micro-organisms and bacterial elements may be present. In order to perform category 2 restoration process, not only water has to be removed but contaminants have to be removed as well.

Category 3 – Black Water

This category is the severest among all water damage categories since this is caused by the seepage of sewer water. The sewer water is usually black due to the presence of sand, raw materials, contaminants, and other things. Blackwater causes severe damage to the building. There are hazardous contaminants in it as well, which can result in health problems. The odor of the sewer water can cause breathing problems for the residents. In order to solve this category problem, water has to be removed along with contaminants and odor.