Water Categories - What Are They?

3/24/2020 (Permalink)

Water is water, right? You know you’re not supposed to drink salt water, and it’s probably not wise to drink from a random lake or river you find out on a hike unless you have one of those fancy filtering straws. You also know not to go near the toilet bowl water (and no matter how many times you tell your dog to stay away, she just doesn’t listen). But did you know that water has different categories and that when dealing with a water damage in your home we use these categories to see how we need to mitigate the situation at hand. It can help us dictate whether or not we need PPE or Personal Protective Equipment, and how much of it we need. It can also help us decide what type of cleaning supplies we need too!

So, what are the water categories?

Using IICRC (IICRC S500), or Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification, guidelines, we categorize water into three categories. So, what are they?

Category 1 or “Clear Water” – This water comes from a source that’s clean, for example your water supply line broke on your refrigerator, flooding your kitchen. That would be considered clean water. It can also come from a sink or a tub that’s overflower. However, when it comes to clean water losses, it’s important to act as quickly as possible because not only can it bring mold and mildew but the longer it sits  and mixes with dirt or other particles on the floor the faster it can degrade from a category 1 to a category 2.

Category 2 or “Gray Water” – This is water that has bacteria present, think about a water source that you wouldn’t want to drink from. You wouldn’t want to drink your bathwater, or the soapy water that comes from the dishwasher or washing machine. Gray water has no solid waste in it, but it’s carrying microorganisms and the nutrients needed for those microorganisms. It can cause discomfort or some sickness in the event that some gets ingested. If you’ve had a toilet overflow that had urine in it, sump pump failure, this is all considered category 2 water. If left, just like category 1 water, it can devolve to category 3 water.

Category 3 or “Black Water” – This is the highest category that we can use when it comes to water. It is disgustingly unsanitary. It usually includes raw sewage or water sources that are considered to be contaminated. Sea water, ground water, and water rising from rivers and creeks are all considered to be category 3 water sources. Category 3 water is incredibly dangerous and can cause serious illness or even death if consumed by humans.

We take water losses seriously, and we know how fast water can go from a category 1 to a category 2 and so on and so forth. It’s why we are ready to go 24/7, 365 days a year. We have our crews on standby no matter the day whether it’s a regular Tuesday or a holiday. Our trucks are stocked and ready to roll out, and we can be to your location in as little as an hour! Give us a call today at 817.560.3086!