Glossary of Water Damage Restoration & Flood Damage Preparedness Terms - B

BackFlow Prevention Device

Prevents the flow of dirty water into a building's clean water supply. It protects the usable water from contamination or pollution. It works by providing and air gap between anything that opens to a plumbing system (such as a sink faucet) and any place where water can collect.

Back Pressure / Back-Pressure

When air fans, used in the drying process, are placed incorrectly wet carpet, furniture and rugs. This is caused by placing fans too close or too far away and at the wrong speeds, or potentially by stacking the fans. This causes the air to be pushed down and causes the moisture filled air to get trapped in places such as walls and flooring. This can cause more water damage. You should always have a specialist determine the best placement for the air movers.

Base Flood Elevation

Used by FEMA to show a flood elevation that has a 1% chance of being equaled or exceeded each year in any given location. It is important for flood claims, because homeowners adhering to the advised BFEs should reduction in the their flood insurance premiums. Adhering to this standard also protects homes and offices from flood damage caused by disasters in flood prone areas.

Basement water damage

Basement water damage is any water-related damage that occurs in the basement of your home. It could be that your foundation is saturated with water, your baseboards are saturated with water, water is seeping in from the top of your foundation, or a number of other situations. There are generally three sources of basement leakage: surface water (water from rain, snow run-off), ground water (water from springs, high water tables, etc.), or other water sources such as a plumbing leak. It is important to extract this water as it can lead to severe mold and air that is dangerous to breathe.

Black Water

Blackwater is contaminated water that enters a home or office building from sewage or other contaminated water sources. It is very unsanitary, and is extremely dangerous to the elderly, children, and individuals with allergies or compromised immune systems. It can be caused by toilet backflow, and also flooding from contaminated sea water and groundwater.