What Is Category 3 Water Damage?

The most common type of water damage most homeowners endure typically stems from a burst or leaking pipe. It’s a hassle, to be sure, but straightforward enough to deal with. But then, there are rare cases in which the entire sewer main may burst or back up into the home. The resulting water damage is then upgraded to category 3 water damage. It is highly contaminated, dangerous, and always disgusting to manage. When dealing with category 3 water damage, or black water, you do not want to clean the mess yourself. Hire a local restoration company to provide efficient water damage restorationservices instead.

Category 3 water damage, often referred to as black water damage, creates a dangerous mess in your home. It typically stems from a backed-up sewage system or flash flooding. Both of these occurrences lead to organic and chemical contaminants in the water flooding into your home.

While sewage and flooding are the most common causes of category 3 water damage in the home, even an overflowing toilet can lead to dirty water and bacteria on the bathroom floor and soaked into the baseboards.

Unfortunately, black water damage is known to soak into porous materials within the home, such as sheetrock and wood. Eventually, besides the contamination, you’ll find that mold grows quickly in the affected areas.

There are countless dangers associated with category 3 water damage. Due to the high level of contamination, black water exposure can lead to hepatitis, cryptosporidiosis, gastroenteritis, giardiasis, leptospirosis, serious infections and more. There are also a number of symptoms associated with black water exposure or ingestion, including high fever, diarrhea, dehydration, abdominal pain, chills, and loss of appetite.

Furthermore, one of the most common diarrheal diseases in the country, campylobacteriosis, is commonly caused by category 3 water damage. If the case worsens, it can spread to the bloodstream where it becomes life-threatening.

When dealing with black water damage in the home, you’re probably tempted to grab a mop and bucket before picking up the phone. But the reality of the situation is that category 3 water damage is incredibly dangerous to your health. It is a liability to your home and family.

As such, you should always hire an expert restoration team to address the high levels of contamination and standing water in the affected area. The team will bring in experienced restoration technicians, certified by the IICRC, and the most advanced restoration equipment in the industry. Their process involves:

• Extracting all standing water from the area
• Cleaning and removing all instances of sewage waste and materials
• Performing sanitization using antimicrobial treatment
• Dehumidifying the area to prevent mold growth
• Removing carpeting, rugs, and upholstery contaminated by the water damage
• Performing mold remediation
• Repairing and restoring the property of its damages

Find guaranteed results in Restoration 1 of Hunterdon County. You can reach us now for water damage restoration by calling 908-292-3209 !

Jovanny Galarza is the owner of Restoration 1 of Hunterdon County, an IICRC-certified company. Jovanny has years of experience and is proud to have put together a team that works together to reach goals and serve clients with five-star satisfaction.