What is Category 3 water?
Category 3 water, often called black water, is grossly contaminated water that can cause serious illness, such as sewage backups and flood water. Dealing with it means category three water and sewage cleanup by a specialist, because it carries harmful bacteria and cannot be treated like a clean water leak.
What does Category 3 water mean?
Category 3 water is the most contaminated of the three water categories used in the industry water-damage standard, describing water that is grossly unsanitary and likely to cause illness if contacted or ingested. It includes sewage, water from beyond the toilet trap, rising ground water and flooding from rivers or the sea.
How does it differ from Category 1 and 2 water?
Category 1 water is clean water from a source such as a supply pipe, and Category 2, sometimes called grey water, is significantly contaminated water from an appliance or overflow. Category 3 is the worst, and water can also degrade from a lower category to Category 3 over time if it is left standing or mixes with contamination.
Why is Category 3 water a health risk?
Category 3 water is a health risk because it carries bacteria, viruses and other harmful organisms, and it soaks into porous building materials that then hold the contamination. Materials such as carpet, plasterboard and insulation that have been saturated usually have to be removed rather than dried, and lingering damp can lead on to mould growth if it is not dealt with.
How is Category 3 water cleaned up?
Category 3 water is cleaned up by extracting the water, removing contaminated materials, cleaning and disinfecting the structure, and drying the building thoroughly to prevent secondary damage. The work is carried out in protective equipment and the contaminated waste is removed under the appropriate duty of care.
Need help now?
HazRestore answers 24 hours a day, discreetly and fully insured.