Water Restoration glossary
Plain-English definitions of 0 water restoration terms you will see on quotes and inspection reports.
- 0Terms defined
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Find the word. Read the definition. Check the bid.
Category is about health risk and drives the method. Category 1 is water from a sanitary source. Category 3 is grossly contaminated - sewage, floodwater - and porous materials are generally removed rather than dried. Cost tracks it directly: Fixr puts extraction at $3.75-$4.25 per square foot for clean water, $4.10-$6.50 for gray and $7.00-$7.50 for black.
Class is about drying difficulty and drives the duration. Fixr's cost ranges by class run from $150-$400 for Class 1 up to $20,000-$100,000 for Class 4, where water has soaked into low-evaporation materials like hardwood, plaster or concrete.
The other terms you'll meet: mitigation is the emergency work that stops further damage; restoration or reconstruction is rebuilding. An LGR dehumidifier is a low grain refrigerant unit, the professional standard for structural drying. Drying goal is the target moisture level for each material, verified with a meter. Assignment of benefits is a document that lets a contractor bill and negotiate with your insurer directly.
Knowing category and class lets you sanity-check a quote. If someone prices a clean-water kitchen spill like a Category 3 loss, you now have the vocabulary to ask why.
Three rules for every term
- Category 1 Water from a sanitary source. Materials can often be dried in place if caught quickly.
- Category 2 (gray water) Contains contaminants that could cause illness. More removal, more sanitizing, higher cost per square foot.
- Category 3 (black water) Grossly contaminated - sewage, floodwater. Porous materials in contact with it are generally removed, not dried. Not a DIY situation.
A-Z water restoration dictionary
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Glossary terms for this industry are being written.
Where related figures come from
Sources last checked
- IICRC - ANSI/IICRC S500 Standard for Professional Water Damage Restoration · retrieved 2026-07-25
- Fixr - Water Damage Restoration Cost (category and class pricing) · retrieved 2026-07-25
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