Categories and Classes of Water Damage

10/1/2020 (Permalink)

The category and class of water damage determine the type and amount of drying equipment needed.

SERVPRO of Omaha Southwest and Omaha West/ Saunders County are known as the leaders in restoration. Our techs follow the IICRC's (Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification) S500 Standard for Professional Water Damage Restoration. The techs will assess the damage, and determine the category and class. These help determine the amount and type of drying equipment needed.

Category 1: Refers to clean water, or water that does not pose a threat to humans. A broken water supply line would be an example of this category. Note: A Category 1 can become a Category 2 after 48 hours.

Category 2: Water is also called gray water. This means that the water is contaminated and may cause sickness of ingested. This type of water contains microorganisms. Overflow from toilet bowls, or an appliance leak would be category 2.

Category 3: Water is known as black water. This type of water is unsanitary, as it contains bacteria and other organisms that cause sickness. The possible sources of black water damage include sewage problems and contamination of standing water.

There are also several classes of water damage. The class of damage is important when assessing water damage repair options.

Class 1: is limited water intrusion in a room. Materials absorb very little of the water from this type of damage. Water damage repair is the easiest in this type of situation. Water intrusion were wet, represents less than 5% of the combined floor, walls, and ceiling in the space.

Class 2: has a fast rate of evaporation, which means that carpets and cushions may be damaged. Water damage repair is more difficult when it involves class 2 damage. 5%- 40% of the combined floor, walls, and ceiling are affected.

Class 3: has the great amount of absorption. Over 40% of the floor, walls, and ceiling are affected.  

Call SERVPRO of Omaha Southwest & Omaha West/Saunders County for all your water restoration needs.