IICRC Program Certification – Water Damage Specialists

01 May IICRC Program Certification – Water Damage Specialists

Water Damage – Certification Matters

Water damage restoration training is one of the important skill sets that a team of professional cleaners needs in order to offer comprehensive services. This service involves going into a home or business after a water disaster and completing an assessment.  

Then the water damage repair starts, with drying then repairing the substructures that high volumes of moisture will affect, such as plaster and drywall, wood, concrete, and metal.  Hiring an IICRC Program Certification – Water Damage Specialists makes all the difference.

Categories of Water Damage

Water damage needs prompt cleanup attention, and mold is a concern, of course, but there can be many other problems related to moisture damage; crumbling drywall and plaster, weakening beams and supports, rusting metal surfaces, and more.

If the moisture is left to sit long enough, it will eventually bring the house to ruin. By having professional water damage restoration training, a cleaning crew will be able to properly assess the situation and devise the best plan for repair.

According to the IICRC (Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification), which sets the standards for the cleaning industry and water damage restoration training, there are several different levels and classes involved in liquid destruction. From the IICRC’s S-500 standards, there are three categories describing the type of liquid involved.

• Category 1. This is liquid from a clean and sanitary source, such as faucets, toilet tanks, drinking fountains, etc. But, category one can quickly degrade into category two.
• Category 2. This category of liquid used to be called grey water and is described as having a level of contaminants that may cause illness or discomfort if ingested. Sources include dishwasher or washing machine overflows, flush from sink drains, and toilet overflow with some urine but not feces.
• Category 3. This is the worst classification and is grossly unsanitary. It could cause severe illness or death if ingested. It used to be called black water, and sources include sewer backup, flooding from rivers or streams, toilet overflow with feces, and stagnant liquid that has begun to support bacterial growth.

Classes of Water Damage

Next are the classes of destruction:

• Class 1. The lowest and easiest to deal with, this has a slow evaporation rate. The only part of a room or area was affected, there is little or no wet carpet, and the moisture has only affected materials with a low permeance rate, such as plywood or concrete.
• Class 2. With a fast evaporation rate, this level affects an entire room, carpeting, or cushioning, the moisture has wicked up the walls at least 12”, and there is moisture remaining in structural materials.
• Class 3. This class has the fastest evaporation rate, and ceilings, walls, insulation, carpet, and sub-floors are all saturated. The liquid may have come from overhead.
• Class 4. This class is labeled as specialty drying situations, which means there has been enough liquid and time to saturate materials with very low permeance, such as hardwood, brick, or stone.

Trusted Water Damage Professionals

Training our technicians with steps in water damage restoration ensures event classes and categories are accurately captured. From this data, we form a water damage restoration plan. It pays to hire a broad-spectrum cleaning company with certified professional water damage technicians – like the team at Carpet Keepers.

The team at Carpet Keepers is proud to be The Clean Trust Certified, ensuring our clients receive highest level water damage remediation.