The 3 Types of Water Damage and What You Need to Know

Water damage is usually unexpected and always a hassle. It weakens your home’s structure, deteriorates precious mementos, causes mold and mildew, and may lead to serious health injuries or even death. While your first instinct is to clean up leaks or pooling water immediately, you shouldn’t treat all types of water damage the same.

The size of the area affected and the water’s origin and contamination level determine the water category and how you should treat the concern. Luckily, water damage restoration services by Steam Smart Pro in Tuscon, AZ, handle water damage regardless of type. With our tips below, you’ll understand how to deal with them yourself and when to call us for assistance. 

1. Clear Water

Clean water damage usually indicates no chemical contamination that would be dangerous for people and pets to drink, touch, or inhale. While rising clear water quickly becomes flood waters that pose a safety risk to residents, the water itself is non-toxic, meaning you can dispose of it as you please. You can also salvage items affected by this safe water, including wood furniture and floorboards. 

Category one clear water is the cleanest of all types of water damage and always comes from a sanitary source, including the following:

• Bad plumbing and overflows: When untainted toilet water, clogged shower or sink drains, or overfilled tubs cause water to spill out onto your floors, this is clean water damage. 
  
• Broken appliances: This category includes floods from broken appliances like water heaters, refrigerators, ice makers, and more. Due to a blockage or malfunctioning part, these appliances may leak clean water. 
  
• Precipitation: Water from nature, including rainwater and melted snow and ice, is void of natural and unnatural contaminants that would otherwise pose health risks.

2. Gray Water 

Gray water is clean water that carries natural or artificial contamination but is not usually harmful to humans or animals. Unlike black water, which is heavily seeped in waste and other dangerous products that lead to long-term illness or death, gray water contains impurities that cause slight discomfort but is ultimately non-life threatening. 

Like clean water, gray water, also known as category two water, sometimes originates from broken appliances. However, products that mix clean water with other matter like detergent, soap, or bleach create a cloudy or foggy appearance. For instance, a leaking ice machine releases pure drinking water, while an overflowing washing machine releases gray water that is unsafe to consume. 

Other examples of gray water include the following:

• Dishwasher discharge
• Urine-filled toilet water or fish tank water that contains minor forms of waste
• Water leaks from your HVAC unit or broken pipes 
• Overflowing water from your sump pump that collects dirty rainwater 

Category two water damage requires a bit more than a simple drying of personal belongings and household items. Due to the slight water contamination, your rugs, wood floors, drapes, and other household cosmetics need professional disinfecting before contamination spreads. 

3. Black Water

Out of the three categories of water damage, black water poses the most significant threat. It contains biological pollutants like fungus, bacteria, human and animal waste, and chemical contaminants, including pesticides, metals, and other toxins. 

Since these dangerous agents target your digestive and respiratory systems, causing severe illnesses in close contact, you should never dispose of black water on your lawn, the streets, or anywhere else near residential or commercial areas. Instead, dump the water in an acceptable septic tank or sewer system or call the professionals to take care of the unsanitary wastewater for you. 

If you’re an RV owner, you’re familiar with proper black water disposal at campground dumpsites and gas stations. You’re in charge of emptying the black water tank that holds waste from the vehicle’s toilets. However, black water removal becomes necessary for any business owner or resident that experiences the following: 

• Natural floods occur when water levels rise in nearby rivers, streams, or lakes. These include tidal or storm surges that bring microorganism-filled, muggy water into your home.
  
• Tornadoes and hurricanes create vortexes of wind and water that pick up debris, sewage, and other pollutants before depositing them in and around your home.
  
• Sewer backups allow raw sewage and human waste to reverse flow and resurface in your toilet bowl or around your sink and shower drain. While a blocked sewage line is usually the culprit, it’s best to call an expert to examine and repair the problem.

Of all types of water damage, black water damage is the most concerning for your health and safety and your home’s wellbeing. Unlike clear water damage, items are usually unsalvagable after black water tainting. A contractor should rip any material from your home that may harbor bacteria, including carpets, insulation, and drywall, and perform HEPA vacuuming and anti-microbial spraying for sanitation.

Can Category One Water Become Category Two or Three Water? 

While category three black water is the most alarming form of water damage, clean water and gray water shouldn’t be taken lightly since they grow more dangerous the longer they sit stagnant in your home or workplace. That’s because water, even clean water, encourages microorganism growth in your walls and floors, including mold and mildew. 

Once the water mixes with the newly-formed fungus and sits for as little as 24 hours, the water becomes contaminated, needing special attention. 

Trust Steam Smart Pro to Clean Anything You Can’t Toss in the Machine 

If you’re still unsure how to tell the types of water damage from one another, reach out to our professional team. We have the know-how and the ability, whether you want to know the best practices for cleaning the couch in the summer or require our water damage restoration services. 

We’ve helped thousands of residents and homeowners in Tuscon and surrounding Arizona areas repair pressing concerns and give their homes and health a new lease on life. Call Steam Smart Pro, the number one cleaning service, at 520-397-3770 for assistance today!