Classes of Water Damage
When evaluating a water loss the term class is used to describe how much area is affected in any room that has water damage. There are 4 different classes and each indicates a different percentage of area affected as well as its difficulty to dry. This information is very helpful to help create a drying strategy to efficiently dry whatever building materials might be wet.
Class 1:
This class is the least severe out of the 4 and only makes up 5% or less of the combined surface area in the room with water damage. Porous materials such as drywall or carpet have only absorbed a minimal amount of water. Hard to dry materials such as multi layer flooring has absorbed very little and can be dried almost completely just from extraction. It is critical to handle these types of loses quickly before the materials have the chance to absorb more moisture.
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Class 2:
In a class 2 water loss materials have had more time to absorb moisture and more porous materials are usually affected. These can include drywall, carpet, pad, insulation, textiles and masonry. The overall extent of damage typically ranges fro 5%-40% of the overall surface area found in the affected area. Hard to dry areas such as multi layer floors have absorbed very little. Contact a restoration professional immediately to prevent further damage in the event one of these losses occurs.
Class 3:
Class 3 losses represent the highest water absorption. Over 40% of the overall surface area is affected and most of the materials are wet and porous such as drywall, carpet, pad, insulation, textiles and masonry. Hard to dry materials have absorbed very little moisture.
Class 4:
These loses represent water that has been absorbed into low evaporation materials. These are typically much more difficult to dry and sometimes require specialty equipment. Examples of this class of water damage include hardwood floors, cabinets, brick, concrete, masonry walls and multi layer assemblies.
