Why a glossary helps
Estimates and reports use shorthand that sounds more complicated than it is. When a document says a room is class two and category two, those labels have specific meanings that affect scope. Knowing the vocabulary lets you ask better questions and notice when a term is used loosely.
Terms are grouped by topic below. Ask whoever prepares your paperwork to explain any word that is unclear; a good explanation should be easy to give.
Water and materials
- Category
- A one-to-three rating of how contaminated water is, from clean to grossly contaminated.
- Class
- A one-to-four rating of how much water was absorbed and how fast it will evaporate.
- Porous material
- Anything that soaks water in, such as drywall, pad, insulation and unsealed wood.
- Non-porous material
- Hard, sealed surfaces like tile, metal and glass that water sits on instead of entering.
- Wicking
- Water traveling upward through a material, as through the paper face of drywall.
Removal and demolition
- Extraction
- Mechanical removal of liquid water by pumps, wands and vacuums.
- Flood cut
- A straight cut across drywall above the waterline to remove wet board and open the cavity.
- Tear-out
- Removing damaged materials such as carpet, pad and baseboard.
- Containment
- Plastic sheeting and barriers used to keep dust or contamination in one area.
Drying and measuring
- Moisture meter
- A device that estimates moisture in wood, drywall or concrete.
- Thermo-hygrometer
- An instrument measuring air temperature and relative humidity.
- Dry standard
- A target moisture reading taken from unaffected parts of the same structure.
- Psychrometrics
- The study of how air, heat and moisture interact, used to set up drying.
- Monitoring visit
- A return visit to take readings and adjust equipment.
Classes at a glance
- Class
- 1
- Meaning
- Small area, little absorption
- Typical case
- A damp spot on a hard floor
- Class
- 2
- Meaning
- Whole room, carpet and walls affected
- Typical case
- A flooded finished basement room
- Class
- 3
- Meaning
- Water from above, saturated ceilings and walls
- Typical case
- A burst pipe in an upper floor
- Class
- 4
- Meaning
- Deep saturation in low-evaporation materials
- Typical case
- Water in concrete and hardwood
Common questions
Are category and class the same?
No. Category is about contamination; class is about how much water was absorbed and how hard it is to dry.
What is a dry standard?
A reference reading from similar unaffected material in the same building, used to judge when wet areas have dried.
General information for Wheat Ridge, not a quote or professional advice. In an emergency, call 911.