Guide
Water damage terms explained
Work orders use shorthand. This glossary explains what the common words mean, in ordinary language. Definitions are general, and a contractor may use slightly different wording.
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The words you will see
- Mitigation
- Steps that stop damage from growing: shutting the water off, removing water, tarping a roof, starting drying.
- Extraction
- Pumping or vacuuming standing water out of the structure.
- Structural drying
- Using air movers and dehumidifiers to bring wet wood and drywall back to a normal moisture level.
- Air mover
- A high-volume fan that moves air across wet surfaces.
- Dehumidifier
- A machine that pulls water vapor from the air so it does not move to another surface.
- Moisture content
- A reading from a meter that shows how wet a material is. Contractors compare it with a dry reference reading from the same house.
- Clean, gray and black water
- Informal names for how contaminated the water is. Clean water comes from a supply line. Gray water carries some contamination, such as washing machine discharge. Black water carries waste or comes from floods and is the most hazardous.
- Demolition
- Removal of materials that cannot dry in place, such as saturated pad and swollen drywall.
- Containment
- Plastic sheeting that limits dust and moisture to the work area.
- Rebuild
- Repairs and replacement after drying: drywall, flooring, trim and paint. It is a separate scope from mitigation.
- Scope of work
- A written list of rooms, materials and tasks that the contractor agrees to perform.
Why the vocabulary matters
If a document uses a term you do not understand, ask the contractor to explain it before signing. The before-you-hire guide has more questions to ask.
Water is still spreading while you read
Call the number and describe what happened. The line routes your call to an independent restoration contractor who serves your ZIP code. Early calls leave more of the home dry.