When Clean Water Becomes Category 2 Damage

8/30/2022 (Permalink)

When a tub overflows you have gray water and Category 2 damage

Secondary Water Damage

A broken pipe on the second floor has flooded your building in Oakbrook, KY. You have shut off the water and completed the water pipe repair, but the flood has seeped through the floor into the apartment below. Unfortunately, that clean source water has become contaminated. You now have Category 2 water damage. 
Any flood will require clean-up and repairs, but leaks and overflows involving contaminated water can result in a more extensive restoration process.
There are three categories of water damage. 

Category 1 - Clean water
Category 2 - Gray water
Category 3 - Black water

What Is Category 2 Water Damage?
Category 2 water damage involves gray water, which is clear water that has been exposed to household chemicals, detergents, or biological matter. When a tub overflows or a washing machine leaks, you have gray water and Category 2 damage.
Clear water passing through building materials such as wallboard soaks up chemicals and contaminants, turning it into gray water. Water that sits around too long can become gray water as well.

How Do You Handle Category 2 Water Damage?
With any flood, the first step is to stop the source of the water. Turn off the supply and if necessary, complete any required water pipe repair. Next, you need to remove as much of the floodwater as possible to minimize the spread of damage. Then dry the affected area completely.
If the water is from a clean source and has not soaked into building materials or otherwise become contaminated, that is the end of the clean-up process. With gray water, you have the added step of removing organic or chemical residue left behind from the flood.
Water damage restoration professionals recommend performing regular maintenance on your building's plumbing. Complete routine inspections on a regular basis and perform any needed water pipe repair before calamity strikes. If you have a flood, try to prevent clean water from becoming contaminated and causing more extensive damage.