Water Mitigation Guidelines
How Water Category and Building Materials Influence Restorability in Residential and Commercial Losses
Brianna Salvitti, MBA, Senior Building Consultant
Imagine coming home from a summer vacation only to find water everywhere. The inlet valve hose detached from your toilet and has been spewing water into your home for days. This type of water claim happens more frequently than you might realize. According to the Insurance Information Institute, water damage claims are 20-25% of all claims in a given year, surpassed only by wind and hail. Once a water intrusion event occurs, quick mitigation with appropriate scope and comprehensive understanding of building materials is key to moving forward.
Mitigating Water Intrusion
Water intrusion introduces varying levels of contamination, material degradation, and an overall environmental change within an affected building. The extent of these impacts is largely determined by the category of water involved. While these distinctions are well-defined in industry standards, their real-world application often reveals inconsistencies in how mitigation is approached in the field, particularly how they differ between residential vs. commercial properties.
Consider a commercial property where mitigation efforts were completed, yet additional tear-out was later required due to inadequate initial communication between the property management company, the owner of the property, and the restoration vendor. In another instance, a claims professional may arrive onsite to find two-foot flood cuts removed throughout the entire two-story residential building, despite only the first floor being directly affected. These scenarios are not uncommon.
Too often, mitigation efforts either exceed what is necessary or fall short of what is required, resulting in avoidable costs and complications for both residential and commercial properties. In many of these cases, the underlying issue can be traced back to how the category of water was identified or misidentified at the onset of the water event. These early determinations define the extent of impact to building materials and establish the foundation of the mitigation scope. They also drive labor, equipment, supervision, and other cost components that are frequently reviewed and challenged during the claims process.
This article outlines how the identification of water category drives mitigation decision making and the impact this has on different types of building materials in commercial vs. residential properties. The purpose of this article is to help claims professionals understand some pitfalls in mitigation and how they can evaluate mitigation and associated costs more effectively.
To understand how these inconsistencies arise in practice, it is important to first examine how class, category, and affected materials are identified and where breakdowns in that process occur.
Water Class, Category, and Affected Materials Matters
Accurate identification of the class and category of water is essential to determining the appropriate approach and what material is necessary to remove. The class of water intrusion reflects the estimated evaporation load based on the extent of moisture absorbed in materials at the time when drying begins or at humidity control (ANSI/IICRC S500‑2021).
Water losses are divided into four classes, ranging from Class 1 (minimal absorption and low evaporation load) to Class 4 (which is deeply held or bound water within material).
The category of water defines the level of contamination present. Categories are
- Category 1 – clean source
- Category 2 – greater level of contaminants
- Category 3 – grossly contaminated water
Proper classification and categorization are critical as misidentification can lead to unnecessary material removed or extended drying times. When in the field, below are a few ways to determine class and category of water:
- Identify the water source. Did water enter from the roof during a storm? Did the supply line to the refrigerator rupture?
- Determine the extent of intrusion. This includes identifying which rooms, finishes, or building assemblies were affected and assessing the severity and scope of the impact on each area.
- Evaluate the duration of exposure of water. If known, approximately how long was the water running?
- Document everything. Thorough documentation of water conditions can assist with determining the appropriate water category, especially if conditions change from Category 1 to Category 2, or from Category 2 to Category 3.
While both category and class influence whether materials are removed or dried, the composition of the affected materials is equally critical in this determination. Although commercial and residential structures may utilize similar building components, the assemblies and finishes often differ, which can affect how water migrates, is retained, and how it is mitigated.
Building Materials: How Water Migrates, is Retained, and how it is Mitigated
While both category and class influence whether materials are removed or dried, the composition of the affected materials is equally critical in this determination. Although commercial and residential structures may utilize similar building components, the assemblies and finishes often differ, which can affect how water migrates, is retained, and how it is mitigated. Field evaluation of the building’s composition is recommended, as it directly influences mitigation approach and should include review of the following:
- Framing type or support type, which may include wood framing, light gauge steel framing, structural steel framing, concrete piers, etc.
- Foundation type, such as slab-on-grade, basement, crawl space (pier-and-beam, continuous stem wall, etc.)
- Building systems, including HVAC systems, mechanical systems, electrical, and plumbing.
- Double layered assemblies, this would typically include double drywall, shaft walls, and other double layered walls.
- Other assemblies
Engaging professionals familiar with building assemblies, mitigation standards, and restoration scope evaluation can help determine whether the mitigation approach is reasonable, properly documented, and aligned with the conditions observed.
While category, class, and material identity each influence whether materials are dried or removed, early identification remains the common thread, shaping the overall scope and approach to effective mitigation in both residential and commercial properties.
This becomes most evident when examining Category 1 water and how early decisions directly influence outcomes.
>>Read the full Practice Guidelines: How Water Category and Building Materials Influence Restorability in Residential and Commercial Losses paper here.
Brianna Salvitti, MBA
Brianna Salvitti, MBA, is a Senior Building Consultant with Haag, a Salas O’Brien Company. She is an experienced construction consultant with 13 years in construction, residential/commercial estimating, and property claims adjusting. Ms. Salvitti has worked as a building consultant, property field adjuster, and project manager. As a property field adjuster she focused on analyzing claims, contractor estimates, and reviewing insurance policies. She has provided rapid response in creating reports for clients, documenting files, and conducting field inspections.
Ms. Salvitti earned a Masters of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. She completed an Associate in Claims (AIC) and an Associates in Insurance (AINS). She earned an IICRC Water Restoration Technician certification (WRT), a North Carolina Property Adjusting license, is a Haag Certified Inspector-Residential Roofing and Commercial Roofing, and is a Haag Certified Reviewer (Levels I, II, III). Her training includes Erie Water Mitigation, Vale Training, Xactimate (Levels 1, 2, 3) certifications, Symbility Estimating, Rope & Harness Steep Roof Training, and OSHA Construction Safety and Health Certification. Ms. Salvitti was honored to be selected as a 2025 delegate for the prestigious Property Insurance Claims Group (PICG) Claims Academy in London, U.K.
Any opinions expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of Haag, a Salas O’Brien Company or subsidiaries.
