Water Removal
There are four general principals that bring water damaged materials to a pre-loss condition.
1. Remove the Excess Water.
Removal of excess water could include mopping or the use of more sophisticated wet pick-up vacuuming equipment and extraction tools.
2. Evaporation.
Once excess water is removed, technicians must change water from a liquid to a vapor throughout the promotion of evaporation. Normally, this is accomplished with specialized air moving equipment.
3. Dehumidification.
Once water vapor is evaporated from structural members and contents, it must be removed from the air through dehumidification if secondary damage and health hazards are to be avoided.
4. Temperature Control.
Both evaporation and dehumidification are enhanced by controlling the temperature in a confined environment.
Categories Of Water
1. (Category 1) Clean Water.
Clean water does not pose harm to humans. Examples include broken water supply lines, tub or sink overflows with no contaminants, appliance malfunctions involving water supply lines, melting ice or falling rain water, and broken toilet tanks. Note: Once a clean water source comes in contact with contamination, its condition changes.
2. (Category 2) Gray water.
Gray water could potentially pose a threat of illness to humans. Examples include discharge from dishwashers, washing machines, overflowing toilet bowls with urine (no feces), broken aquariums, and punctured waterbeds.
3. (Category 3) Black Water.
Black water contains pathogenic agents. Examples include sewage, ground surface water, rising rivers or streams, and water with any organic substances.
Classes Of Water Damage
1. (Class 1) Slow Rate of Evaporation.
Water damage affects only part of the room or area. Little or no wet carpet and pad is present. Minimum moisture absorbed by materials.
2. (Class 2) Fast Rate of Evaporation.
Water damage affects the entire room. Carpet and pad are soaked. Water has wicked up walls less than 24 inches. There is moisture remaining in structural materials
3. (Class3) Fastest Rate Of Evaporation.
Water damage may have come from overhead. Ceilings, walls, insulation, carpets, pads, and sub-floors are saturated.
4. (Class 4) Special Drying Situation.
Severe water damage. Saturation of sub-floor, plaster, brick, concrete, stone, crawl-space. Typically, there are deep pockets of saturation that normally very low specific humidity.
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