What is category 3 water damage?

7/14/2022 (Permalink)

Today, we’ll be talking about the third and final category of water: category 3 water damage.

Water “categories” are used by restoration professionals to quickly identify and communicate the level of contamination in water. These categories are not usually determined by any kind of scientific test (though such tests do exist) but instead are highly-educated guesses based on the source of the water and the materials that it has passed through.

Category 3 water is sometimes referred to as “black water” and is the most contaminated category that exists. It is considered to be “grossly” contaminated with harmful bacteria, viruses and pathogens that could cause serious health problems, even death, if they were to be ingested.

The most common source of category 3 water in the home is sewage. A sewage backup can contain not only the sewage itself, but also whatever pollutants, chemicals and harmful materials that were picked up as the sewage traveled through the sewer.

Category 3 water damage leads to the highest ratio of demolition and material removal, as many things can simply not be effectively cleaned and sanitized after exposure.