Types of Water that can Enter Your Home

3/1/2023 (Permalink)

Water is important. We see it everywhere. Influencers on Instagram are reminding us to hydrate, doctors are telling us we need to consume a specific amount of water per day, etc. As crucial water is for us, there are some destructive elements that come with it. Knowing what types of water has invaded your home or business is essential to know a safe and quick clean-up restoration process.

Three Types of Water

1. Clean Water
Clean water is what we all want and love. Whether it comes out of a filtered pitcher, a water filtration system, or bottles, this type of water is the goal to keep us hydrated and healthy. Clean water comes from a pipe into your home - unless tampered with due to a storm, crushed pipe, or other issues.

2. Gray Water
Gray water is slightly contaminated. The most common sources of gray water damage include toilet bowls containing urine, water from a dishwasher or washing machine, and flood damage caused by sump pump failure. It can cause a lot more damage than clean water and may devolve into black water if not treated quickly.

There are many reasons why you have gray water in your home:

• There may be air in the water supply
• Hard water scale deposits
• Presence of bacteria
• Fungal growth in water

3. Black Water
Black water is highly contaminated and filled with fungi, bacteria, and chemicals and is often sewage water. It poses serious health risks and increases the damage to your water. It’s extremely important to avoid all contact with black water. Do not walk through contaminated areas and don’t turn on HVAC systems or fans when black water is present, to avoid spreading contaminants through the air.

Some reasons why you have black water include:

• Mineral deposits (magnesium, manganese, and iron are common minerals that build up in your water system over time. When these minerals oxidize, they come out of your faucet and can turn black.
• Rusty pipes
• Mildew growth
• Sand or clay particles
• Old filter system

How We Stay Prepared for Water Losses in Your Home

No matter how severe water damages can begin, the longer the customer waits for a response to the emergency, the worse the situation can get. With our central location, we can reach Holmdel losses quickly to begin emergency services and mitigation tactics. We can actively reduce property loss in these threatening scenarios by staying prepared. For our SERVPRO teams, this means:

• Stocking trailers with extractors, air movers, and other recovery tools
• Encouraging our entire roster to obtain their water restoration accreditation through the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC)
• Staffing a 24/7 response line with real people to begin collecting vital information about your loss to help our responding technicians.

Regardless of how your water went from clean to dirty, SERVPRO of Aberdeen/Holmdel has the knowledge and experience to deal with any type of water damage to your home or business. Our experts will determine what type of water damage has taken place and safely extract excess water before beginning the drying process.

About SERVPRO Team Harvey
SERVPRO of Aberdeen/Holmdel is proudly owned by Lance and Jennifer Harvey - a husband and wife duo that owns three other SERVPRO locations, including SERVPRO of Lower Manhattan, SERVPRO of West Somerset County, and SERVPRO of Hoboken/Union City.

We understand the stress and worry that comes with a fire or water damage and the disruption it causes your home or business. Our goal is to help minimize the interruption to your life and quickly make it “like it never even happened.”