category 3 water damage

Category 1, 2, and 3 water — what the difference means

The category is about contamination, not how scared you feel. Category 3 is a health job.

Category 1 starts clean — a potable supply line, a sink. It does not stay Category 1 because time passed. It degrades.

Category 2 is contaminated. Dishwasher discharge, washing-machine overflow, groundwater that picked things up. You should not treat it like drinking water.

Category 3 is grossly contaminated: sewage, river or seawater flooding, or water that sat long enough to become a health risk. Do not mop it. Do not vacuum it with a household machine. Leave, photograph from dry ground, and call.

Porous materials that took Category 3 water often cannot be saved. That is not upselling. It is disposal law and health. We will show you what comes out before we pull it.

Pricing follows the hazard. Category 3 labour is published on the rate card because PPE, containment, and disposal are real. Fuel surcharges are not.

Metro Vancouver service:structural drying·published rates