No matter which way you look at it, water can cause mold damage of left standing for days or hours. Any type of standing water in your home or business can initiate the growth of mold within 48 hours after a water disaster event. Some types of water, however, are more prone to cause damage than others. When you contract with Rocky Mountain Restoration for water removal remediation, our technicians will tell you the type of water that has infiltrated your premises. Here’s a guide on how to understand the different types of water.

Category One: Clean Water

This type of water doesn’t contain any waste. When a clean water emergency occurs, it’s usually due to a problem such as burst pipes, sinks and defective appliances that overflow, rainwater and snowmelt that end up leaking water into various areas of your home. Category One water poses few health risks.

Category Two: Grey Water

This category is tricky. Many customers panic when they hear that they have a grey water event. With proper and timely remediation, however, you can minimize the damage. Grey water has been used and carries some waste products, but not human or animal wastes, with the exception of toilet overflow with no solid matter. Health risks are minimal but present, especially if the situation is not addressed. Other examples include washing machine and dishwasher overflows that go unchecked as well as failures from grey water sump pumps. It can even come from rainwater that leaks through ceilings. The danger here is minima but can produce illness if standing water is touched or consumed. Mold can grow more quickly under these circumstances. Disease usually does not spread significantly due to grey water.

Category Three: Black Water

This is the most dangerous category as the water contains natural pathogens and possible chemical contaminants such as fungi, bacteria, viruses and more. This water is extremely unsanitary and can contain human sewage and other organisms that can make people extremely ill. Waters from floods as well as sewage backups are examples of black water.

When facing a water damage emergency, the one thing to remember is that the longer it sits, the more dangerous it becomes. Clean water can become grey water and grey water can become black water if left untreated. Thus, the need for mitigated water damage as quickly and efficiently as possible.

If you don’t know what kind of Water Damage you have in the Phoenix Arizona area call our experts today to give you an assessment!