It is not possible to predict a disaster. Flooding is one of the known disasters that can cause havoc to people and the property. The sources of the flood can be either heavy rainfall, sewer line problems, or burst pipes. There are water damage restoration professionals who clean and repair the damage that has been caused by flooded water. The professionals are guided by some regulations from the American National Standards Institute to ensure that the homeowners or business owners are more secure after the restoration process. Ethical issues and principles have to be observed.
Let us look at the major types of water damage.
- The first type of water damage involves clean water, which cannot cause infections when touched or ingested. The source water in these categories can be rainwater, burst pipes that supply clean water, or the sprinkler system. It is caused by plumbing errors when it occurs from burst pipes. Even if the water is clean, it is necessary to remove it because it might cause some hazards when it lasts for a long time in the open area.
- The second category involves the gray water. When the water is ingested, it might cause illness to people and animals. It might contain some impurities like urine or some industrial chemicals. Therefore, the affected people should look for professionals to handle the situation immediately.
- The third category involves contagious water, which contains pathogens and chemicals that can easily cause a great danger to the residence. The black water or raw sewage is in this category. Proper care and strict instructions should be followed while handling the disaster.
It is essential to understand that immediate action should be taken to ensure that there is no threat if any of the mentioned cases occur. If the water takes long before it is removed, then the cost of cleaning becomes more expensive since the first and second categories will finally turn to the third category.
The amount of water determines the removal of water in the affected area. IICRC has been able to classify the amount of water in a room, and here are the categories given.
Class 1 category
It is a low-level amount of water that has covered the affected area. The affected area does not have any pores, leading to water penetrating to another level of the ground. It occurs in an area covered with concrete or tiles.
Class 2 category
In this category, the affected area is porous, which allows some seepage of water, making the place wet even after removing the water. A good example is wood floors or gypsum board surfaces.
Class 3 category
This category involves surfaces which are very porous in that the absorption rate is very high. Therefore it is essential to use maximum evaporation ways to clean and dry the water.
Class 4 category
It occurs in a situation where the intruding water may have affected highly porous material. It makes it difficult to clean the affected areas, e.g wood surfaces.
Having observed the category of the classes in the affected area, let us look at the process of water remediation.
The following are significant steps that are followed by professionals in water remediation.
- The first steps are to observe safety hazards and ensure that their life is not at any risk.
- They clean the area by removing water and the affected materials.
- They also dry the affected area as well as the materials that did absorb the water.
- Sanitization is also done to ensure that microorganisms and biological matters that could cause illness are eradicated.
- Repair is also crucial to ensure that the affected premises are back to their typical structures.
Although the method or step to be followed depends on the nature of the water damage. But the International Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) document provides necessary steps that must be followed.
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