What Do I Need to Know About Water Damages?

Water damage is one of the most unwanted types of damages that can affect, and even destroy, your property. And when the damage occurs in your property, it can be highly expensive, dangerous and unhealthy, most especially when it is allowed to develop and progress.

Conversely, water damages are caused by water to your property, being where it should not be. For some instances, these damages may be caused by a flood or of some kind of malfunctions—a bursting of a pipe, water main leakage, in some cases, will commonly lead to water damage that is highly acute and requires immediate attention.

When understanding the risks of water damage, one must learn that water damage can be a result of three (3) different types of water, namely:


Category 1: Clean Water. As you would expect, clean water typically is a result and comes from a sanitary source, for example, water pipes, steam lines or rainwater. For the water to be categorized as category 1, it should smell and look just like tap water. Basically, this type of water is not health risky at all, unless you are in an old building and the water makes contact with contaminants. However, dealing with category 1 still requires you to respond quickly because the microbial growth can occur in as quick as 24-48 hours.


Category 2: Gray Water. Hence, the sources of gray water vary widely, as do the potential contaminants. So, when the source is not sanitary, it is advised to proceed with caution. Regardless of whether the water is clear or cloudy, or if it smells good or bad. Storm drains, treated cooling water, some surface water, water from fire suppression systems and even discharges from equipment are some sources of gray water. Unlike clean water, gray water can be slightly to severely contaminated with microbial growth. Any direct or indirect exposure to gray water could potentially result in health issues.


Category 3: Black Water. Infectious viruses, bacteria, parasites, toxic and allergenic materials can all lurk in black water, which could include water coming from sewers, rivers or the sea so always use caution around it. Black water typically smells bad and is often cloudy. Since it poses such a high health risk, it’s best to keep employees and customers well away and it’s likely that you will need to replace most materials that it comes into contact with.

While water is very important for people’s lives, it can also be very dangerous if it gets in your home and causes damages. In some cases that your home is affected by water leakage or flood, here are five things that you should keep in mind about water damage:


Water damage grows fast. Water damage is a lot challenging because it can grow very fast. Once a property has been flooded and subjected to water, things like the carpets, hardwood floors and drywall might result in mold growth. When the water caused mold growth, it is quite harder to be treated quickly. It is common nature to assume that a small problem is just small. But unfortunately, water is a great solvent. Small leaks can cause major damages to one’s property.


Prevention is easier than to clean up. When it comes to water damage, the most effective solution is to prevent it in the first place. Although guarding your property every time against every possible cause of water damage is quite impossible, proper and regular maintenance will decrease the chances of damage. Moreover, if the water damage is extensive and mold has started to grow causing other damages, restoration can be very expensive. Proper precautions are highly recommended.


Homeowner’s insurance doesn’t cover all water damage types. Depending on where you live, the water damage may be covered by insurance. Insurance companies will cover quite a few things on water damage. Homeowners and businesses should know what types of water damage their insurance company will cover. Most of the time, insurance companies do not cover any damages caused by groundwater, natural incidences such as rain or snow, and the owner’s negligence. This includes the owner’s failure to repair previous damage or take actions to prevent the damages in the future.


Water damaged things can be salvaged. For the homeowners and businesses, one important thing that you should know about water damage is that damaged things can be salvaged. When water occurs in your property, it is better if you attend to it soon enough, in that case, everything that is damaged could be dried out.


Call a professional. If otherwise, the water damage seems to be too much, and not just a small water leakage. Do not try any improvised restoration methods, instead, call a professional restoration team to inspect your property, including the walls, floorings and basement, etc. This is a must know and must do if the situation is a lot more serious and if you do want to stop the damage to spread.

When water damage is more gradual, then you will need the services of a water damage restoration company on a less urgent basis—but you should nevertheless aim to get it looked at as soon as possible to ensure that you prevent it from spreading and to protect your health and the health of your family. Moisture in the air and particularly mold spores can otherwise be very bad for you and your family. At the same time, it can end up undermining the structural integrity of your building.



Moreover, when the restoration company reaches you, the technicians will start by finding the source of the water and stop it when possible. This may be repairing walls or roof damages or may involve fixing a pipe or water main. Either way, the company will prevent the water from flooding to larger regions. From there, the water damage restoration company will begin to calculate the extent of the damage and its costs.