What is a Category 3 Water Loss?

2/5/2019 (Permalink)

Flood water is classified based on level of contamination: category one, two or three. Knowing what type of flood is an important factor for how to approach the cleanup situation. Category three water requires the most careful deliberation to properly clean the mess. Here’s what you need to know.

What Is Category 3 Water?

Category one water is often referred to as a “clean water” flood, referring to non-contaminated water, but category three, or “black water,” is on the other end of the spectrum. Black water is defined as such because it may contain some of the following contaminants:

• Microbes
• Chemicals
• Fungi
• Heavy metals
• Bacteria

Anytime there is a natural flood, the water is considered contaminated. This is true for rivers, creeks, and sea water. Most black water floods are caused from something more familiar to your environment: sewage overflows. A toilet overflow is one of the most common causes of a category three flood in a commercial building, so it’s important to know what to do if you experience black water flooding in your building.

What Can You Do While You Wait?

As in the case of any flood water, safety is the first step, but with a black water flood that means taking some added precautions. While a flood remediation expert will do the work and guide the way, here are some things you can do while waiting for help:

1. Make sure electricity is off.
2. Protect your skin from contact with the contaminated water.
3. Act quickly to remove all water.
4. Remove smaller items from the flood area.
5. Lift furniture onto blocks or use aluminum foil to prevent wood from absorbing water.
6. Turn up the air conditioner, use fans, or open windows to allow maximum airflow.

Help Arrives Knowing how to recognize category three flood water and how to start the initial cleanup are helpful to minimizing damage while you wait for help. SERVPRO of Paris water mitigation specialists have experience dealing with these types of floods and use their knowledge and specialized equipment to clean it up the right way. 903-784-2700