Clean, gray, and contaminated water
Nationwide
Our incident command team contains and removes Category 3 water, then cleans, sanitizes, and disposes of materials that cannot be safely restored.
Signs to look for
As the coordinated steps continue, if you notice any of these problems, call us before water has more time to spread into nearby materials.
To keep the incident under control, this is the route people already know, and it is unambiguous. To keep the incident under control, any sewage involvement places the incident in Category 3 from the first minute.
With the scene stabilized, surface water that crossed soil or pavement is treated as Category 3.
From the first status check, the path counts as much as the origin.
To keep the incident under control, lower category water climbs the scale as it sits, and warmth speeds that up.
From the first status check, a dead rodent, a nest or heavy insect activity in standing water is a recognized Category 3 route.
From the first status check, an unidentified source is assessed at the top of the scale until it is named.
What happens
Our incident command team adjusts the work to which materials took on water, how far the water traveled, and which materials can be saved.
From the first status check, source, path, elapsed time and room temperature are recorded with photographs. As the coordinated steps continue, you get the reasoning behind the label, not just the label.
With the scene stabilized, we measure how much of the total surface area of the space is wet porous material. To keep the incident under control, that number sets the sequenced drying plan and it is independent of the category.
From the first status check, circuits serving the space are switched off at the panel, from dry footing, before the first crew member enters.
To keep the incident under control, barriers, air scrubbing and a doffing station separate the area inside the incident zone from the rest of the building.
From the first status check, on a Category 3 work plan, respiratory protection is worn as standard along with suits, boots, gloves and eye protection.
From the first status check, each item on the estimate traces back to the category call that justified it.
Talk with a restoration specialist
Describe the source, the impacted rooms, and when you first noticed the damage.
What to expect
With the scene stabilized, here is how we usually handle category 3 cleanup near the United States.
To keep the incident under control, source and path answer most of the category question before anyone arrives.
Your callTo keep the incident under control, elapsed time is a category input, and nobody can reconstruct it later.
+5 minutesAs the coordinated steps continue, people and pets out of the area inside the incident zone, then power to it switched off at the panel from dry footing.
+10 minutesWith the scene stabilized, do not mop, bin anything or move contents around.
+15 minutesTo keep the incident under control, we trace the source and path, fix the incident timeline, take room temperature and humidity, and photograph the evidence.
On arrivalWith the scene stabilized, the category goes in the incident file with its evidence. As the coordinated steps continue, then we measure the wet porous material against the total surface area of the space to set the class.
First hour on siteFrom the first status check, sealed work area, respiratory protection and the disposal route are set because the category requires them.
First hour on siteUnderstanding the cost
As the coordinated steps continue, we explain the recommended work and price before you approve the job. As the coordinated steps continue, these examples show what may change the estimate.
| Common situation | What the estimate may include | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| Category 3 cleanup in one room or a small area, removal, cleaning and disinfection | With the scene stabilized, national estimate. | $2,000 to $4,000 |
| Category 3 cleanup across a finished lower level, removal, cleaning, flood cut and drying | With the scene stabilized, national estimate for a full contaminated level with disposal and multiple drying zones. | $7,000 to $18,000 |
| Category 3 cleanup priced by affected area | National estimate for measured area inside the incident zone at the top of the contamination scale. | $7 to $15 per square foot |
| Category 2 cleanup priced by affected area | To keep the incident under control, national estimate for soiled water, where cleaning and cushion disposal are added to drying. | $4 to $9 per square foot |
| Category 1 cleanup priced by affected area | With the scene stabilized, national estimate for clean water, where most materials are dried in place rather than removed. | $3 to $7 per square foot |
| Flood cut drywall and insulation removal, per square foot | As the coordinated steps continue, national estimate for cutting, removing and bagging contaminated wall material and insulation. | $1.50 to $4.00 |
| After hours or overnight dispatch charge | With the scene stabilized, national estimate for an out of hours dispatch, ahead of any cleanup pricing. | $100 to $400 |
Which category the water is placed in
From the first status check, category 1 is extraction and drying. From the first status check, category 2 adds cleaning and cushion disposal.
How much of the space is wet porous material
With the scene stabilized, this is the class question and it prices separately from the category.
How far the category escalated before anyone called
As the coordinated steps continue, a loss caught as Category 1 and dried is a fraction of the same loss assessed as Category 3 on day three.
Height of the wet line on the walls
With the scene stabilized, this drives drying difficulty, because a taller wet line means more wet surface and more cavity to dry.
Low permeance materials in the assembly
Hardwood over a subfloor, plaster, or a concrete slab holds bound water that leaves slowly. Those assemblies stretch the sequenced drying phase regardless of category.
Whether the determination is documented
To keep the incident under control, a documented category is approved and paid.
Why timing matters
From the first status check, water can keep moving into nearby materials even when the surface looks dry.
To keep the incident under control, water never improves on its own.
From the first status check, moving up a category adds sealed work area, protection, disposal and material removal.
To keep the incident under control, as water migrates it wets more of the total surface area of the space, including walls and ceilings.
As the coordinated steps continue, infants, older adults, pregnant household members and immunocompromised people are the reason the standard allows an elevated response.
Helpful service information
With the scene stabilized, start with the short explanation. From the first status check, open a card if you want a little more detail.
As the coordinated steps continue, it sorts water by contamination into three brackets.
From the first status check, the category scale comes from the IICRC S500 standard, which is the reference document professional restorers work to.
Category is about the water.
Category and class get confused constantly, and the difference is genuinely useful. Category is about the water. Class is about the sequenced drying challenge, measured as how much of the total surface area of the space is wet porous material.
With the scene stabilized, category is assessed at the time of the inspection, not at the moment of the leak.
From the first status check, deterioration over time is the part homeowners are rarely told about. With the scene stabilized, category is assessed at the time of the inspection, not at the moment of the leak.
Help near you
Choose your area below, or call (855) 876-9548 and describe how the incident started.
You may also need
Our incident command team removes heavily contaminated water and damaged materials, then cleans and sanitizes affected rooms to reduce serious health risks.
Get a Quote: (855) 876-9548Our incident command team removes moderately contaminated gray water, then cleans and dries affected materials using precautions appropriate for the source.
Get a Quote: (855) 876-9548Our incident command team identifies, contains, and removes contaminated water, followed by cleaning and sanitation appropriate for the source and affected materials.
Get a Quote: (855) 876-9548Our incident command team cleans and sanitizes surfaces affected by contaminated water after extraction and removal of materials that cannot be safely restored.
Get a Quote: (855) 876-9548Our incident command team identifies the water source, measures visible and unseen moisture, documents damage, and recommends an appropriate cleanup and drying plan.
Get a Quote: (855) 876-9548Our incident command team uses air movement, dehumidification, and moisture monitoring to dry framing and building materials beyond the visible surface.
Get a Quote: (855) 876-9548Our incident command team removes sewage water and damaged materials, then cleans and sanitizes affected rooms to address contamination and lingering odors.
Get a Quote: (855) 876-9548Our incident command team removes a controlled lower section of wet drywall so contaminated cavities can be cleaned, inspected, and properly dried.
Get a Quote: (855) 876-9548Common questions
To keep the incident under control, grossly contaminated water that can contain harmful agents. As the coordinated steps continue, under the IICRC S500 standard, it covers sewage, water from outdoors at ground level, water that contacted contamination on its way, and lower category water that degraded over time.
As the coordinated steps continue, category 1 is clean water from a sanitary source such as a supply line.
To keep the incident under control, category describes what is in the water. With the scene stabilized, class describes how hard the space will be to dry, based on how much of its total surface area is wet porous material.
As the coordinated steps continue, by how much of the total surface area of the space, meaning floor, walls and ceiling together, is wet porous material.
As the coordinated steps continue, yes, and this is the part most people are never told. With the scene stabilized, clean water picks up soil and grows bacteria as it stands, so it is treated as Category 2 within about a day and Category 3 beyond about two days.
To keep the incident under control, it means the estimate should include sealed work area, protective equipment, removal of absorbed porous materials, documented disposal and a cleaned and dry release.
To keep the incident under control, no. As the coordinated steps continue, the category condemns porous material that absorbed the water, not the contents of the room.
Talk with a restoration specialist
Describe the source, the impacted rooms, and when you first noticed the damage.
Areas we serve
As the coordinated steps continue, identify your state to reach restoration assessment, extraction, cleanup, and drying service in your area.
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