Water damage glossary

What do restoration and insurance terms mean?

Anyone who deals with a restoration provider, an adjuster or a contractor after a California leak will hear jargon. The entries below put each term in everyday language, and they give more space to the ones that count in this state: slab and raised foundations, atmospheric river storms, fire-scarred hillsides and California insurance rules.

Air mover

High-velocity, low-profile fan set on the floor to blow air along wet surfaces. The moisture it lifts is then captured by dehumidifiers instead of lingering in the room.

Air scrubber

A unit with a HEPA filter that strips dust and mold spores from room air during tear-out of soaked or moldy materials. Plastic sheeting usually walls off the area it serves.

Atmospheric river

NOAA describes it as a narrow, extended corridor of humid air carrying tropical water vapor toward higher latitudes. When one makes landfall it supplies much of California's worst winter rain, and NOAA reports that a handful of them can account for 30 to 50 percent of annual precipitation along the west coast states.

Backwater valve

A one-way device fitted to a house's sewer line. Wastewater passes out, but the flap shuts when sewage pushes back from the city main, which can stop an overloaded storm sewer from forcing waste up through the lowest tub, shower or floor drain.

Category 1 water

Water from a sanitary source, for example a snapped supply line or burst pipe. The IICRC S500 standard allows many materials it soaked to be dried where they sit, provided drying begins promptly.

Category 2 water

Grey water carrying some contamination, such as the discharge from a washing machine or dishwasher, or a toilet overflow with no solid waste. Carpet pad that gets wet this way is typically thrown out.

Category 3 water

Water that is grossly contaminated. The IICRC S500 lists sewage here, plus rising river or stream flood water and surface water from outdoors. Porous materials that it reaches are generally taken out rather than dried.

CDI

The California Department of Insurance. It oversees insurers and how they handle claims, and it accepts consumer complaints, for instance when a claim is hard to open. Its hotline number is 1-800-927-4357.

Condensate drain line

The slim pipe that drains water off an air conditioner's coil. If the air handler sits in an attic and this line clogs, the drain pan can spill over and leave a stain on the ceiling beneath, often unnoticed for a while.

Contents pack-out

Taking furniture and personal items out of a wet house for cleaning and storage while the building dries. Request a written inventory from the provider listing what leaves and what comes back.

Crawl space

The low, unfinished gap beneath a raised foundation. A leak from a pipe overhead can go unseen down there, so a musty odor or a spongy floor may be the first warning.

CSLB

The Contractors State License Board, which is the state's licensing agency for contractors. Its website offers a license lookup, and its consumer guide recommends that payments follow the progress of the work.

Debris flow

A rapid slide of mud, rocks and water down a steep hillside or channel. The USGS points out that slopes scarred by fire can produce one after only a brief downpour, as occurred above Montecito in January 2018.

Dehumidifier

A machine that draws water vapor from the air. Providers bring in large refrigerant or desiccant models chosen for the size of the damp space.

Dry log

The ongoing record a drying provider keeps: moisture readings, room humidity and the equipment placed in every room. It documents when materials hit their dry standard, and it backs up both the invoice and any insurance claim.

Extraction

Getting standing water off floors, carpet and pad with pumps, wands or weighted tools before any drying gear is set up. Doing this first speeds up everything after it.

FAIR Plan

California's last-resort insurer. According to the CDI, its basic residential policy covers fire and smoke, so water damage cover has to be purchased as a separate add-on from a homeowners insurer.

Float switch

A small sensor that lifts with rising water and interrupts power to a device. Fitted to an attic air conditioner, it turns the unit off once the drain pan fills, so a blocked condensate line stops leaking into the ceiling.

Flood cut

A level cut made along a drywall wall, normally a foot or two higher than the top of the water line. Wet insulation can then be pulled out and the cavity gets room to dry.

Galvanized pipe

Water pipe made of zinc-coated steel, found often in older houses. Over time the zinc wears off and the steel corrodes from within, which may produce pinhole leaks behind walls.

Main shutoff valve

Sits where the water supply line meets the house. Shutting it halts the flow to every fixture. Find it before trouble starts, and make sure the handle still turns.

Moisture mapping

Marking moisture readings for a wet room onto a sketch or floor plan. The result shows how far water spread beneath floors and within walls, and it gives each return visit a baseline to measure against.

Moisture meter

A handheld instrument that measures wetness in drywall, wood and comparable materials. Material is judged dry once its reading falls back to what is normal for that material.

Mold remediation

Taking out mold along with the materials it ruined, then correcting the moisture source that fed it. The CDPH states that California does not license mold remediators, so ask any provider about their training and procedure.

Natural hazard disclosure

A written statement from a California seller saying whether the property falls in a zone such as a FEMA special flood hazard area, a fire hazard zone or an earthquake fault zone. A buyer of a house with water damage should study it carefully.

NFIP

FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program, the source of most residential flood policies. The CDI says it has no regulatory role over the NFIP, and notes that a newly bought policy generally starts 30 days later.

Pinhole leak

A minute puncture that corrosion opens in a pipe wall, mostly in older copper or galvanized lines. Water can spray or seep for weeks inside a wall or slab until a stain, an odor or a big bill reveals it.

Public adjuster

A claims professional you engage yourself, rather than one sent by the insurer, who builds and negotiates your claim in return for part of the settlement. The Insurance Information Institute reports fees as high as 15 percent, so verify references with the state insurance department first.

Raised foundation

A floor system lifted off the ground on short walls or posts, with a crawl space underneath. Many older California houses have one, and pipes under the floor are simpler to get at than pipes cast into a slab.

Sewer and drain backup endorsement

An optional paid extension to a homeowners policy covering water that comes back up through drains. The Insurance Information Institute notes that standard homeowners policies omit sewer backup, and flood insurance omits it as well.

Slab leak

A leak in a supply or drain line that runs beneath or within a concrete slab foundation. Typical signs are a floor that feels warm, running-water noise when every fixture is off, a jump in the water bill and damp flooring.

Special flood hazard area

An area on FEMA maps, labeled for example Zone A or V, with the highest flood likelihood. A California seller has to disclose that a home lies in one if they know it, or if the local jurisdiction has posted a list of affected parcels.

Structural drying

Drying the structure, which means framing, subfloors, drywall and the space inside walls, and not just what shows on the surface. Providers combine dehumidifiers, air movers and moisture readings, and they often open up walls to reach hidden water.

Subfloor

The layer of material beneath finished flooring. Water that gets under wood, laminate or vinyl is absorbed by it, and if it stays wet the result can be cupping, swelling and mold.

Thermal imaging camera

A camera that displays differences in surface temperature. Damp spots frequently appear cooler since evaporating water draws heat away, so providers follow the water's path with it and then verify with a moisture meter.

Water heater strapping

Braces or straps that fasten a water heater to the wall, so a quake cannot topple it and tear loose its pipes. California law calls for new, replacement and existing residential water heaters to be braced, anchored or strapped.

Water mitigation

The first stage of a water damage job: shut off the source, remove standing water and begin drying, so the harm stops spreading. Repairs afterward are normally called restoration.

Xactimate

Software for estimating, widely used by insurers and restoration firms to price repairs line by line. If your estimate and the insurer's disagree, lining up the line items is the fastest route to the reason.

Where do these definitions come from?

The water categories above come from the IICRC S500 standard. Insurance wording comes from the California Department of Insurance residential claims guide and the Insurance Information Institute. The NOAA atmospheric river explainer, the USGS study of the Montecito debris flow and the EPA mold and moisture guide back the rest.

To see the terms in context, read emergency water damage help or water categories and classes. For coverage words, try the FAIR Plan and water damage. The water damage guides list every other topic.