Clean, grey & black water
Water category & contamination assessment
Restoration practice grades water three ways. Category 1 is clean supply water from a burst pipe or tap. Category 2, grey water: carries contamination from appliances, showers and similar sources. Category 3, black water: takes in sewage, rising floodwater and anything that crossed contaminated ground. The classification dictates what can be dried in place and what must be removed.
Scope
What this covers
Source identification and category classification on arrival
Escalation tracking: clean water left standing degrades toward grey
Disposal decisions for porous materials touched by black water
Sanitising treatments matched to the classification
Timing
When it's needed
Category drives cost and scope more than volume does. A large clean-water event may be fully dryable in place; a small sewage backflow forces removal of every porous thing it touched. Getting the classification right on day one prevents both under-treatment and needless demolition.
Water and electricity share the same walls. Do not wade into flooded rooms while power is on, treat sagging wet ceilings as ready to fall, and avoid direct contact with floodwater or anything sewage-affected, assume contamination until the water has been classified.
Quote variables
What shapes the scope
The original source and every surface the water crossed on its path
Time elapsed, since standing water worsens in classification as it sits
The mix of porous and non-porous materials in the wet zone
Occupant health considerations, particularly with grey and black water
Water damage restoration in Australia is guided by the IICRC's standards, S500 for water damage and S520 for mould: referenced here as industry frameworks, not as certifications this website holds. Ask any restorer which standards their process follows, what training their people carry, and confirm that reinstatement trades hold the relevant NSW licences.
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