Table of Contents
Your ultimate guide to causes of water damage, types, health risks, and restoration of water damage. There is a uniqueness that water possesses, making it what everyone cannot do without, and at the same time, it can be a dangerous masterpiece, if necessary, steps are not taken to manage it.
Without taking too much time, we will be going straight into the main subject matter of this content, starting with the causes of water damage.
What Are the Causes Of Water Damage
- Dishwasher Leakage | Causes of Water Damage
Dishwashers are used for washing dishes, and washing entails the use of water, so in a situation where your dishwasher is leaking, it can lead to water damage to some of the properties around the dishwasher.
- Overflow of Water | Causes of Water Damage
A water tap that is not turned off after use will lead to an overflow of water if the needful is not quickly done. This often happens in the kitchen, toilet, bathroom, and other strategic places in the house where a water tap is fixed.
This can lead to damage to carpet, floors, walls, and any other property around the area where the overflow occurred.
- Blocked Drains | Causes of Water Damage
When a drainpipe that allows free flow of water is blocked and left unattended to, it will cause a lot of pressure on the pipe, which may cause a water outbreak and automatically lead to water damage.
- Leaking Roof | Causes of Water Damage
A leaking roof serves as a passage for water to flow into your home when there is either a heavy downpour or normal rain. If not fixed, you risk losing some of your properties to water damage.
Classification of Water Damage
This content will checkout on the four classifications of water damage according to the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certification (IICRC).
- Class One
This classification of water damage implies that the level of damage that occurred is not much and not disastrous due to the little space it covers. In this situation, the materials affected by the damage are minimal, with just a little water absorption, and the affected space has the tendency to dry quickly after removing the water.
- Class Two
Class two is, however, an upgrade from class one, coming with more notable and important water damage, which spreads its damage beyond a small circle to a wider space, affecting or likely to affect important properties like carpet, cushions, and wooden materials.
- Class Three
Class three is when a water outbreak happens from the main water source, a water supply link, or a water damage causes damage to the roof of a house due to a storm, leading to leakages that cause ceilings, walls, and carpet to be soaked with water from the overhead leakages.
- Class Four
Class four water damage is known for its great intensity and level of severity, putting a home in a very dangerous position of further disastrous damage, if necessary, steps are not taken.
This type of damage causes materials like stones, bricks, concrete, and other water-resistant materials to be soaked with water. In this case, the owner should immediately send a call to the water restoration team, and time is of the essence, as delay may be very dangerous.
Categories of Water Damage
According to the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certification (IICRC), water damage categories are classified into three categories, which are:
Category 1, also known as clean water.
Category 2, also known as grey water.
Category 3, also referred to as black water.
Category 1 (Clean Water)
This category of water is made up of types of water that originate from water sources and cannot have any negative effect on anyone that meets them. That is why it is regarded as clean water.
Category 2 (Grey Water)
Category 2 is a set of waters that have been contaminated and can cause injury to the body if you come into contact with them. These categories of water come from dishwashing, overflowing toilet bowls, and others.
Category 3 (Black Water)
This category is the most dangerous type of water that can cause significant injury to the body and can affect your health if you encounter it. The level of their contamination is high, as it automatically turns the water black.
Water Damage Restoration Process
- Safety First
The most important thing is your safety. Before taking any steps towards the repair and removal of the water, you have to be conscious of wild animals and broken particles in the water that might cause any form of injury to you as you proceed with the restoration process.
- Check Out for Mold
Look out for mold, knowing fully well that dwelling with mold in the house is dangerous and poses a great threat to the well-being of people living in that house.
- Look Out for The Structural Integrity of Affected Places
Check the structural integrity, fitness, and stability of the flooded areas. This will help inform if there is a need to call a professional building engineer to come for a repair of the affected areas.
- Protection
Your safety is important, and only with that can you do any repair or restoration when water damage occurs. To ensure that you are safe, you need to put on safety materials to guide against anything that might injure you in the process of doing the necessary.
- Dry-out Affected Areas
Drying off the affected area will help guard against the growth of mold, and it will also help reduce the extent of the damage in case you have any wooden materials in the affected area. Instant removal of the water will also lessen the extent of structural damage to the affected room.
- Document Extent of the Damage
You need to keep the extent of it in a record. The record-keeping and documentation will be used as backup evidence when informing your insurance company about the water damage.
- Examine the Loft or Attic
When there is water damage, it is advisable to examine the attic because wall insulation is capable of drawing moisture into the attic.
- Clean and Disinfect the Affected Place
The cleaning process should be carried out after keenly following the previously highlighted tips and steps. Clean up the space and make sure you disinfect the space after cleaning to avoid any form of infection that may pose aa threat to the health of people around you.
- Ventilation
When you are done with the cleaning, open every window in the affected room or house to allow cross-ventilation. You can also turn on the fan in the room.
When To Call a Water Restoration Professional
Even if the extent of the water outbreak is what you can handle and you have removed the water, you still need to call a professional restoration team to do a final cross-check and wait until they confirm that the house is safe and okay for use.
- Contact a Mold Specialist
It is believed that you have done a great job by doing the necessary cleaning and water removal from the affected part of the house, but another important call you have to make is to inform a mold specialist to cross-check for mold.
Health Risks of Water Damage
- Affects Air Quality
When water damage occurs, there is a high tendency for it to affect the air quality in the affected home. Materials and property soaked with water would develop irritating smells, and this is very dangerous for people with lung problems and respiratory illnesses.
- Pest
Areas with stagnant water are known to be home to pests, insects, pill bugs, carpenter ants, cockroaches, and other types of pests. Staying in a house with the above-listed pests is very dangerous to your health, so it is advisable to immediately put out every water and guide against mold.
- Mold Development
Water damage can also lead to the development of black mold, pink mold, and aspergillus mold. Mold development is known to come with dangerous health issues.
Other risks of water damage are financial risks, property damage, and depression.
FAQ of Water Damage
Conclusion
In conclusion, understanding the causes of water damage, types, and health risks associated with it is paramount for safeguarding your home and well-being.
By recognizing the signs of water damage early on and implementing effective restoration strategies promptly, you can mitigate its detrimental effects.
Remember, proactive maintenance and timely intervention are key to preserving the integrity of your property and ensuring a safe, healthy environment for you and your loved ones. Stay vigilant, stay informed, and take action to protect against the ravages of water damage. In any case of Water damage Call Us