When dealing with the clean-up of water damage in a home you will hear about different classes of damage. These classes will also be discussed with contractors and your insurance company. To be more informed as a consumer and know the extent of the damage in any given area, let’s breakdown the differences between them.

Classes of Water Damage

– Class One Water Damage is the best news for you and any restoration company. It’s the easiest to deal with as there is the least amount of damage. The damage includes only parts of rooms being affected and the carpets were spared for the most part or minorly affected. The water damage only affected material like plywood or concrete with a low permanence rate.
– Class Two Water Damage means the carpets and upholstered furniture have been affected. This class of water damage also has a fast evaporation rate. With this level the water has wicked up the walls at least a foot and the structure of the property has been affected by water and moisture.
– Class Three Water Damage has caused water to come into the house from above; from fire hoses, busted pipes or damage from the roof. In this class of damage, the walls, ceilings, carpets, insulation and the structure itself has been saturated with water.
– Class Four Water Damage means the brick, hardwoods and stone have been saturated with water as large amounts of water and enough time was permitted to saturate them. These are materials that don’t typically absorb water easily and specialty drying situations will be needed.

Water Mitigation & Damage Restoration Process

Almost any situation is salvageable if you’re dealing with those that have water damage restoration cleaning experience. Infrared equipment will be used to determine the extent of the damage. Once the class has been determined, air movers, air scrubbers, different sizes and types of dryers and blowers will be used and dryers specialized for hardwood along with those designed for drying sub-floors and inner wall cavities. High-speed dehumidifiers will be used to remove and control humidity and moisture levels. The length of time for water to dry out will depend on the amount of damage and the saturation levels along with the length of time the property was exposed to the water. For an average home, the amount of drying time is about 2-3 days and as long as 5 days if the property was exposed for an extended period of time.

Water Damage Restoration, Clean Up & Repair in Quincy, Macomb, Hamilton, Warsaw & East Alton Illinois | Hannibal, Missouri

To avoid any future problems, mitigation should be taken care of by a licensed, insured company as mold can become an issue in as little as 24 to 48 hours if the process of structural drying has not been started. Just because it seems dry, doesn’t mean it isn’t wet under the floor or behind the walls. Mold and mildew thrives in dark cavities making professional equipment the way to go as it’s much more powerful. American Hometown Services has the knowledge of the repairs and drying times required to get the job done. Contact us whenever disaster strikes!