Water Classes & Categories

Class 1–4 and Category 1–3 — the two words that set the whole scope.

6 articles

• Water Classes 1 Through 4 — The Number That Sets the Equipment

  Almost every homeowner conversation confuses class with category. Category decides what gets thrown away; class decides how long the fans stay.

• Clean Water Does Not Stay Clean — The 48 to 72 Hour Clock

  A burst supply line starts as drinking water. What decides whether the carpet is cleaned or discarded is not what leaked, but how long it sat.

• How Long Before Mold Starts — 24 to 48 Hours, With Conditions

  The 24 to 48 hour figure is real but it is a starting condition, not a deadline. What it actually measures is how long you have before the scope changes.

• Flood Cut Height — Why 2 Feet, and When It Has to Be 4

  The number people quote is 2 feet. The number that governs is 12 to 24 inches above the highest moisture reading, and those two often disagree.

• What Survives Category 3 — Porous, Semi-Porous, Non-Porous

  The rule is not about damage. A carpet that looks fine goes to the dumpster and a subfloor that looks ruined often stays.

• Category 2 or Category 3 Water? — It Decides What Gets Thrown Away

  Clean water does not stay clean. Category 1 becomes Category 2 in about two days, and that reclassification is what turns drying into demolition.