Flood Damage: 3 Categories of Water

7/25/2022 (Permalink)

Three categories of water.

Common Causes of Flooding

For the uninitiated, all floods might seem equal; however, that is far from the truth. For example, a plumbing accident causes a clean water flood, while a sewer backup is a very toxic situation. That’s why the pros classify spillovers into three categories to show the level of pollution.
Common causes of flooding in Sleepy Hollow, IL include:

• Supply line bursts
• Heavy downpour
• Drain backup
  
  

Category 1: Clean Water

Clean water floods are typically a result of pipe breaks. They are easy to stop, as you only need to cut the water supply to the affected area. Even so, there’s the risk of electric shock and water damage, especially if it happens when nobody is at home. Generally, this flood is the least tainted on this list.

Category 2: Contaminated Water

A plumbing accident flood doesn’t stay clean for long. It eventually mixes with a lot of stuff, including household chemicals like soap, bleach, and drywall. While it might look unclean, contaminated water is nutritious to plants and should be poured in the garden or lawn. Consider it as the middle ground between a clean water flood and a sewer backup.

Category 3: Black Water

Blackwater is the most contaminated flood in the “book of spills.” It contains fecal matter that hosts all kinds of harmful bacteria and toxic chemicals known to man. This combo causes all sorts of nasty infections in people, and pets and damages the environment as well. For that reason, anything that comes into contact with blackwater requires urgent professional attention.
It is also worth noting that carpets and rugs cannot be salvaged after black water exposure. They should be discarded immediately after removal.
Removing contaminated water from a flooded house can be a daunting task for the average DIYer. It’s easy to miss a few critical steps in a cleanup, and that’s why you need a second opinion from a restoration professional.