Like any specialized business, the water and fire damage restoration business may have its own language. A list of commonly used terms are as follows:
boarding up:
Placing boards over any broken windows in your home.
category 1 water:
Water originating from a source that does not pose substantial harm to people. This “clean water” may come from tub or sink overflows, melting ice or snow, falling rainwater, broken
water supply lines, and so forth.
category 2 water:
Water that contains some contaminants or chemicals that may cause illness if humans come into contact with it or consume it. This water may came from overflowing toilets that contain urine only, dishwashers or washing machines with soap chemicals, or water that may contain bacteria or other bio-contaminants or chemicals.
category 3 water:
Category 3 water is unsanitary water that may contain sewage or chemicals that have a high likelihood of causing sickness if consumed by or exposed to humans. Any category 2 water that is not removed promptly can become category 3 water. Toilet back flow and other sewage water, as well as rising water from rivers or streams is considered category 3 water.
contents restoration:
The cleaning and restoration of the contents of a home that has been damaged by water or fire.
contents manager:
The person in charge of keeping track of your personal belongings when they leave your home to be cleaned and restored.
content management division:
The entity within a water and fire damage restoration company that is in charge of photographing, itemizing, packing, moving, storing, cleaning, deodorizing, and restoring your belongings.
damage assessment:
The process used to determine the type and amount of damage to a property from water and/or fire.
debris removal:
The discard of those things in your home that are no longer usable and salvageable.
dehumidification:
The process of removing water by the use of dehumidifiers.
dry smoke residues:
The type of residue that results from fast burning fires at high temperatures. Residues are often dry, powdery, small, non-smeary smoke particles.
estimate:
An approximate calculation of the cost of services.
fire remediation:
The act of returning your home to the condition it was in before the fire.
fuel oil soot:
Furnace puff backs distribute fuel oil soot.
furnace puff back:
A misfire in a furnace, usually an oil furnace, that causes soot to be distributed throughout the home through the air ducts.
HVAC cleaning:
The cleaning of your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system from soot and smoke that may have accumulated during a fire.
mitigating damages:
Using reasonable care and diligence in order to minimize or avoid damages or injury.
mold remediation:
The removal of mold from a structure. Due to the risks some molds pose to human health, mold remediation may require extensive treatment of the structure.
ozone treatment:
A method of smoke removal that uses an ozone generator to break up smoke molecules to eliminate odors.
proposal:
A suggestion or plan for completing services.
protein residues:
Virtually invisible residues that discolor paints and varnishes. These have an extremely pungent odor.
rapid structural drying:
The process of removing water from a structure quickly through extraction, evaporation, dehumidification, and temperature control.
soot:
The residue of a fire.
smoke damage:
Damage caused by smoke, but not by the actual fire.
smoke deodorization:
Methods used for the removal of smoke odor after a fire.
structural damage:
Damage to any part of a home’s structural support systems that may cause it to be weakened or unstable.
thermal imaging:
The use of an infrared camera to detect moisture and mold within a building.
water extraction:
Removing water from a structure.
water remediation:
The act of returning your home to the condition it was in before the water damage.
wet carpet removal:
Removing carpet that has become wet through water damage.
wet smoke residues:
Soot resulting from smoldering fires with low heat. Residues are sticky, smeary and may have pungent odors.
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