Glossary of Water Damage Restoration & Flood Preparedness Terms - C

Carpet water damage

If water damage to your carpet is not treated quickly, the damage can spread to your wood floorboards, baseboards, and even cabinetry. The water will also increase the humidity in your household (which can warp documents and photos) and harmful mildew/mold will grow rapidly. Generally, if water damaged carpet is not dried and treated within 24 hours, mold and bacteria will begin to grow.

Ceiling water damage

Water damage on your ceiling could mean a number of things: you have leaky plumbing, your roof is leaking, or there is a lot of condensation going on along one of your air conditioning lines or cold water lines. The problem may be even more severe than you can see from below. If your roof is leaking, often times you will have to replace insulation and large pieces of drywall (or whatever your ceiling is made of). You need to call an expert immediately to assess the situation and repair the damage.

Chlorination

Chlorination is commonly performed in sewage treatment procedures to disinfect wastewater. This prevents harmful microorganisms from being released into the home environment. Treating the waste water with chlorine prevents the spread of diseases.

Class of Water Damage

The class of water damage is determined by the by the evaporation rate of the water based on the type and amount of materials affected by the flood. The damage can range from class 1 to class 4. Class 1 water damage would mean that only a small area has been affected, and minor water extraction is required with a short drying time. Whereas, class 3 indicates flood water has damaged ceiling and walls, which will require heavy extraction and and a longer drying time.

Clean Water

This type of water and water damage is not dangerous to humans, unless it is not dried quickly, in which case it can grow mildew and bacteria. It can leak from broken water supply lines or come from uncontaminated forms of percipitation, such as rainwater and snow.

Cold water extraction

Cold water extraction is a method of cleaning synthetic carpet with a cold water extractor. A cold water extractor is a vacuum that uses cold water to loosen carpet and vacuum up any dirt or water in the carpet. A cold water extractor is usually better than a hot water extractor because it reduces the amount of color running, fading, or shrinking. It also reduces the amount of damage to the carpet/flooring.