The three categories at a glance
- Category
- Category 1 (clean)
- Typical sources
- Broken supply line, faucet, water heater, ice maker line, rain through a window before it touches anything dirty
- What it usually means for porous materials
- Carpet, pad and drywall may be dried if work starts promptly
- Category
- Category 2 (gray)
- Typical sources
- Washing machine or dishwasher discharge, toilet bowl overflow without solids, aquarium, sump overflow
- What it usually means for porous materials
- Carpet pad is usually replaced; other materials are cleaned and dried case by case
- Category
- Category 3 (black)
- Typical sources
- Sewer backup, toilet overflow with feces, river or creek flooding, surface runoff entering the house
- What it usually means for porous materials
- Porous materials that were wet are generally removed and discarded
Category names follow the widely used industry standard for water damage restoration (IICRC S500). The restorer decides on site.
Water does not stay in its category
A clean supply-line leak that sits for a couple of days in warm conditions, picking up dirt from the subfloor and whatever is in the carpet, is generally treated as gray water by the time someone measures it. Clean water that runs down through a basement floor drain and picks up what is in the drain line is no longer clean either.
That is the practical reason speed matters. The same leak in the same room can mean dried-and-saved carpet on day one and removed carpet on day three. It is also why a restorer may ask detailed questions about when the leak started and what the water passed through on its way.
Which category are you probably dealing with?
- IfThe water came straight from a pressurized pipe and was found within hoursThenLikely Category 1. Prioritize extraction and drying.
- IfIt came from an appliance drain, a toilet tank or bowl without solids, or sat for a day or moreThenLikely Category 2. Expect pad replacement and cleaning of surfaces.
- IfIt came up from a floor drain, toilet with waste, or from outsideThenTreat it as Category 3. Stay out of it and get professional help with protective equipment.
If the water is gray or black
- Wear waterproof gloves and boots if you must enter, and wash thoroughly afterward.
- Don't vacuum it with a household vacuum or shop vacuum you plan to reuse for clean jobs.
- Throw out food, cosmetics and medicine that the water touched.
- Set wet items aside for your adjuster to see rather than putting them out for trash right away.
- Ask the restorer how they will clean and treat surfaces before drying, and what they will test afterward.
General information for Parker, not a quote or professional advice. In an emergency, call 911.