Floodwater is not the same as a burst pipe, and treating it that way is how people get sick. Water that has crossed ground picks up sewage, fuel, fertiliser, pesticide and whatever else was in its path.
Why category matters
The restoration industry classifies water into three categories, and the category dictates what can be saved:
- Category 1 — clean water from a supply line. Most materials can be dried in place.
- Category 2 — significantly contaminated: washing machine overflow, toilet overflow without solids.
- Category 3 — grossly contaminated. Surface flooding, groundwater intrusion, sewage. Porous materials that absorbed it generally come out.
Almost all flooding is Category 3. Carpet, pad, insulation and the lower section of drywall usually cannot be salvaged, no matter how thoroughly they are dried. Anyone telling you otherwise is cutting a corner you will pay for later.
What the work involves
Water removal first, then controlled demolition of unsalvageable porous material, then cleaning and antimicrobial treatment of what remains, then structural drying, then rebuild. Contents are triaged the same way: hard non-porous items usually clean up, soft absorbent ones usually do not.
The insurance wrinkle you need to know
This catches people out constantly: standard homeowner policies generally do not cover surface flooding. That normally requires separate flood insurance, often through the NFIP. Storm water entering through a wind-damaged roof is usually treated differently from water rising off the ground, and the distinction decides the claim.
We document which is which carefully, because getting that characterisation right is frequently the difference between a paid claim and a denied one.
Call 844-526-1501 and we will tell you honestly what you are dealing with.