Water damage is one of the most commonly occurring types of property damage, and it can be extremely costly and damaging to a home, primarily if it is not addressed in time.

The Source of water damage can range from flooding to a leaky faucet. The water may seep into the building from different areas and contaminate the property on each occasion. But what happens when floodwater flows into your basement? You may not realize it, but when water enters your home, there are likely to be several things that are damaged beyond repair.

Did you know that water damage can be classified mainly into three types? The most severe among them is category 3 or black water damage. Here are some things you should know about category 3 water damage and how serious it can be.

What Is Category 3 Water Damage?

Category 3 water damage is a reference to the dampest conditions. However, using such a standard can be misleading because it doesn’t differentiate between mixtures and solutions that remain uniformly wet over an extended period.

For example, if you receive one inch (2.54 cm) of rainfall in two hours and none after that for 24 hours, then your home suffered Category 3 flood. In other words, there was less than 1″ or 2.5cm top layer depth at any point during the storm, but it still took place under extremely high-intensity weather conditions. As such, you need to know the countdown of events that lead to black water damage before predicting whether or not a Category 3 flood will occur.

How does category 3 water damage spread?

When sewage seeps onto floors and through perimeters, it can travel through foundations. Cat 3 water damage can spread quickly when dirty floodwaters soak into porous materials like wood, sheetrock, drywall, concrete floors, and carpeting. Cat 3 floodwaters can cause dampness behind walls and the attic. As well as flooding buildings by using water to subsurface levels into the basement or crawl space areas, Category 3 Black Water Damage houses infectious pathogens and gives them the perfect environment to thrive quickly.

How Does category 3 water Affect My Health?

The moist, dark weather elements of a storm let cat 3 floodwaters seep into your homes and residences. Floodwaters can stay in an area for days soaking the air you breathe, acting as a catalyst to mold growth, contaminating and destroying indoor environments through spills at open windows, including other forms of mold that may be present.

Cat 3 water damage can create a breeding ground for black and white molds, toxic fumes. Black mold can cause skin rashes, eye irritation, and dizziness if inhaled or ingested. Many people have allergic reactions, including sneezing, dry skin, a burning sensation in the throat and chest when exposed to molds.

High mold levels pave the way to dust mites, further complicate or second asthma attacks or allergic reactions.

Why Can’t I Clean black water damage?

Cleaning black water damage requires using the right products and following common-sense instructions, especially when dealing with wet flooding. Since category 3 water damage is known to provide the best breeding ground for pathogens and mold colonies, you have to be extremely careful and knowledgeable when handling the task successfully.

Even if what you see is dry, it could exist in different forms of mold, including ashy gray to brown stains or stands around corners intact looking “they are not there.”

The mold within the affected area will go dormant and cause repeated bouts longer after the flooding event, even if it can be scrubbed vigorously clean with a comprehensive budget for removing mold and wetting agent treatments to minimize permanent outdoor damage in time as well as ensure your safety.

Blackwater damage is a severe problem that can cause health problems. There are many different ways to deal with black water damage, but it’s important to be careful and follow instructions. Water can enter your home differently, and black water usually means sewage. It might be leaking, or if it’s backed up, maybe an old toilet is clogging up the pipes and causing flooding elsewhere in the house, such as a basement apartment.

Blackwater is highly toxic and can cause sickness or even death. If you find black water damage in your home, the first thing to do is get it dry as quickly as possible because mold will start to grow very soon. You cannot use bleach on the surface area of a flooded room because that could cause more harm than good.

Dealing with Category 3 water damage can be a tricky task. According to experts, even with all your best efforts, mold may begin growing again even after substantial cleaning. If you are still in trouble when dealing with high category 3 water damage levels, consider hiriig water damage specialists as soon as possible for assistance dealing with large-scale cleanups.