All of us hope that no emergencies happen at home. So when it happens chaos comes. To resolve the problem, you should perform a few simple steps and the first one is to detect what kind of water damage occurred. In order to help you with it IICRC or as it also called the Institute of International Cleaning and Restoration Certification described 3 categories with dependence on watercolor. And Excellent plumbing shares it below and hope it will save some time and money for you.
THE FIRST CATEGORY – CLEAN WATER
Under “clean water” term IICRC means floodwater that will not hurt you or make some harm to your health in a short period of time. Respectively, the damage that can be caused by clean water is light, this is why it is called first category damage. Main reasons for such problem are melting of snow, malfunctions of toilet tanks or other appliances. Handling clean water damage, you may consider time because in spite of the fact clean water is “safe” in two days it can move to another, more dangerous, category – gray water.
THE SECOND CATEGORY – GRAYWATER
The water called “gray” or “sullage” if it is wastewater that doesn’t contain any fecal matter. Often this is water that can be used for toilet flushing, from showers or bathtubs, dishwashers or washing machines and so on. Gray water spilling may be the reason for the second category of water damage. Any of listed above can be the reason for the second category damage: overflowing plumbing fixture (such as sinks and dishwashers, showers and bathtubs), appliance (such as washing machines), broken pipes or even weather event.
Gray water spill still can be cleaned up by yourself. But, please pay attention, that it is not as safe as with a clean water spill. Remember, gray water contains a small number of pathogens that can be absorbed by your furniture, walls, and carpeting. This is why it is important to keep your children, relatives and persons with weak immunity and even fluffy or other pets far from the spilling area. Additional protective equipment is mandatory to use while cleaning. So it would be good to keep at home such “tools” as rubber gloves and disposable respirator masks, just in case. If extensive gray water spill happened (for example more than couple inches of sullage in your basement), it is recommended to call a professional plumbing company, so they can safely decontaminate and clean the flooded area up. You may always call Excellent Plumbing in case you need help in the Chicago area.
The rule of 2 days is applicable to the second category damage. Graywater will move to the third category as clean water does – in 48 hours in case the issue wasn’t resolved timely.
THE THIRD CATEGORY – BLACKWATER
Wastewater called “black” if it contains feces, urines toxins and other pathogens or in two words “human waste”. Sources of black water spill are:
- sinks for food preparation;
- places that can contain human waste, used toilet paper. For example, toilets or even bidets;
- dishwashers;
- damaged sewer pipes.
Blackwater is considered hazardous to health because it contains pathogens, chemicals, and other bacteria that can bring significant harm to the health of people or animals.
Large-scale floods involving water from sea, river or even lakes together with water entering a building influenced by the weather cataclysm (such as a hurricane or storm), are automatically classified as black water, as it can potentially carry contaminants. Raw sewage is also considered to be black water.
Blackwater spilling causes the third category damage that is extremely destructive and dangerous a lot both for people and pets. Blackwater causes diseases in case of contact with skin and via ingestion, due to totally unsanitary water conditions. Porous objects, as drywall, upholstery, carpet, which absorbed black water, become unsuitable for further usage.
Taking into account the danger of contact with black water, it is not recommended to clean the effects of the third category damage by yourself. So, if you are dealing with it, please, call professionals in a field of water restoration or plumbing company. Excellent Plumbing will come to you ASAP with help in order to minimize the consequences of disaster happened.
Resume
Before starting the fight against water spills, you need to be 100% sure that it is safe for your health, the health of your family and pets. The above practical tips will help you with it. And if there is any danger, contact a professional who knows how to do it correctly.
We are ready to help in this and other services. Just contact us 847-868-1800 and save your time and money with us!
