The Ultimate Crash Course On Water And Houses

Water is said to be the source of life, assuming you are a potted geranium, of course. For people, water nourishes, moisturizes and heals. It is even part of most weight loss diets as a factor that can help you to feel healthier and get slimmer. So, in short, it seems that water is truly the most precious thing in life.

However, there are cases when you could have too much of a good thing. Water, while being indispensable to your everyday existence, needs to be under strict control when it comes to its presence inside your home. Indeed, it’s fine in the bottle and the kettle, but water on the floor or the ceiling is generally something that you don’t want to see. Water infiltration can put your health and your home at a high risk if you leave them untreated. But do you know what types of water damages and destruction classes there are? Think it’s irrelevant to your household? Think again! Knowing and understanding the types of water risks you face is the best way to be able to react quickly and effectively when you find yourself in an uncomfortably wet situation.

#1. The Black Water: The Worst Of All

Specialists call it Water Damage Category 3 or black water. It is defined by officials as a type of grossly unsanitary water that contains dangerous pathogenic agents. It can arise from sewage or any type of other sources of contaminated water, such as flood conditions causing rising waters for example or even the presence of stagnant water – likely to contain bacterial growth. Black water is highly likely to cause serious discomfort or even sickness when consumed, or sometimes even by exposition. Its presence can also be deadly, whether due to bacterial growth or sometimes even its vast quantity. It is essential to refer to a specialist to take care of the situation, such as Restorationeze.com who offer quick water restoration services for black and gray water – Gray water will be treated in the next paragraph, be patient.

When ranked on a scale of destruction, black water generally causes maximal destruction, which is referred to as class 4 destruction, as it is likely to infiltrate your house structure. However, it can also be categorized as class 1 destruction, when treated rapidly as the water has had no time to evaporate therefore it only affects a certain amount of the room. Class 1 water has not been absorbed by the material, such as a basement flooding that is not absorbed by the concrete floor. In the case of heavy flooding, it could happen that black water has to be treated as a class 2 damage, which implies that the water has worked its way up the walls and has been absorbed by elements of the house structure and the flooring. It is important to understand the level of risks around the lack of sanitary conditions of the water as well as the damages that it can do to your house, as these risks will affect both your health and your home in very different manners. In numerous cases, families will need to be re-homed.

#2. The Gray Zone: A Risk That Can Still Be Managed

Official documentations call the Water Damage Category 2, gray water. Gray water is water that contains a significant level of chemical, biological or physical contamination. Category 2 water could come from a variety of sources; also most commonly in the household grey water comes from sump pump failures, abnormal discharges from the washing machine or the dishwasher, or even toilet bowl overflows. Often the water is described as having the potential to cause discomfort or sickness if it is consumed or if people are exposed to it. While a soapy discharge from the dishwasher can come as an annoyance, it’s important to remember that it is made of a powerful chemical product that you are not supposed to absorb through your skin or even to drink, so do pay very close attention to young children and pets if you are in the presence of gray water.

Additionally, you should seek the services of a specialist, from a plumber expert to an engineer to repair your dishwasher or washing machine with SearsHomeServices.com, in order to rapidly contain the source. In the case of large leakage, you should also get in touch with a water damage company to hire their services and get your house under control. Commonly, grey water doesn’t cause important destruction in the household, as it responds to classes 1 and 2 of destruction. Class 1 destruction means that the water has a slow rate of evaporation and that it remains within a visible and manageable area, such as a toilet bowl overflow that creates a small puddle of grey water around the toilet only, for example. Class 2 destruction, as discussed previously, implies that the grey water has had the time to permeate the walls and potentially create moisture in the structure of the house, which could lead to mold troubles at a later time. It is rare that grey water causes further destruction in a household. However, it has been seen that serious leakage could infiltrate large areas and deteriorate the insulation of your home if left untreated.

#3. Clean Water: The Harmless Water Leakage

The last category of water damage, Category 1, is called clean water. This happens in the case of a water leak around the sink or the bathtub, a burst pipe, or even a leaky roof in a heavy rainfall. Often, these leaks will create a small puddle of clear water that can be easily treated, namely by mopping it out!

You should, however, get a specialist to check your roof and plumbing system to address the source of the leak rapidly. When left untreated, clean water can slowly create lasting destruction in the home, from classes 2 to 3, which implies that the water can affect your walls, your ceiling, and your insulation. If this is the case, while you might not notice the water leak immediately, your energy bills will definitely make it clear to you that something has deteriorated the structure of your home!