Restoration Glossary

Water Damage Mold & Air Quality Fire & Smoke Asbestos Arizona Storms Standards & Certifications Insurance & Process

Category 1 Water (Clean Water): Water from a clean source such as a supply line or faucet that poses no immediate health risk. If left untreated, it can degrade into Category 2 or 3 water over time.
Category 2 Water (Gray Water): Water containing a significant level of contamination, such as discharge from a washing machine, dishwasher, or a toilet overflow without solid waste, that could cause discomfort or illness if contacted or ingested.
Category 3 Water (Black Water): Grossly contaminated water containing bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens, such as sewage backups or flooding from rivers or streams. See our sewage cleanup safety protocols for how Category 3 water is handled.
Class of Water Damage: A separate IICRC S500 classification (Class 1–4) describing how much moisture was absorbed and how difficult a space will be to dry, based on materials affected and evaporation rate — distinct from the water's contamination Category above.
Structural Drying: The process of removing moisture from a building's structural materials — framing, subfloor, drywall — using dehumidifiers and air movers, rather than just removing standing water.
Slab Leak: A water leak in the plumbing lines routed through or under a home's concrete foundation slab, common in Phoenix-area homes and often detected only after flooring damage or a spike in water bills.
Moisture Meter: A handheld device used to measure the moisture content of building materials, helping technicians find water hidden inside walls, floors, and ceilings that isn't visible to the eye.
Thermal Imaging: A camera technology that detects temperature differences to reveal hidden moisture behind walls or under flooring, since wet areas typically read cooler than the surrounding dry material.
LGR Dehumidifier: A Low Grain Refrigerant dehumidifier — a commercial-grade unit capable of pulling more moisture from the air than standard consumer dehumidifiers, and standard equipment for structural drying.
Mitigation: Emergency action taken to stop damage from getting worse, such as extracting standing water or tarping a damaged roof, as distinct from restoration, which returns the property to pre-loss condition.

Mold Remediation: The professional process of returning mold levels in a property to safe, naturally-occurring levels through containment, HEPA filtration, safe removal of affected materials, and antimicrobial treatment — distinct from "mold removal," since mold spores exist naturally everywhere and can never be fully eliminated. More detail on our mold remediation process.
Stachybotrys (Black Mold): A dark greenish-black mold species commonly found on water-damaged drywall and wood. The EPA notes some strains can produce mycotoxins, though the CDC recommends treating any indoor mold growth as a problem regardless of species.
HEPA Filtration: High-Efficiency Particulate Air filtration, capable of capturing particles as small as 0.3 microns, used in air scrubbers during mold remediation to remove airborne spores.
Negative Air Pressure: A containment technique using air scrubbers to keep air pressure inside a work area lower than the surrounding space, so airborne contaminants like mold spores or asbestos fibers are pulled inward rather than escaping.
Containment: Physical barriers, typically polyethylene sheeting, sealing off an affected area during mold or asbestos work to prevent cross-contamination to unaffected parts of a property.
Antimicrobial Treatment: An EPA-registered solution applied to surfaces after water damage or mold removal to eliminate remaining mold and bacteria and help prevent regrowth.

Board-Up: The emergency process of covering broken windows, doors, and damaged roof openings with plywood to secure a property against weather and intrusion after a fire or storm.
Soot: The black, powdery residue left by fire and smoke that clings to surfaces and requires specialized cleaning methods, since household cleaning products can smear it into fabrics and finishes.
Thermal Fogging: An odor-elimination technique that vaporizes a deodorizing agent to penetrate the same porous materials that absorbed smoke odor, used alongside ozone treatment after fire damage.
Pack-Out: The process of inventorying, removing, and transporting a property's contents to a climate-controlled facility for cleaning and storage while structural restoration work is underway. See our contents restoration service for details.

ACM (Asbestos-Containing Material): Any building material containing asbestos fibers, commonly found in popcorn ceilings, floor tiles, pipe insulation, and vermiculite in homes built before 1980.
Encapsulation: A method of managing asbestos-containing material by sealing it with a specialized coating rather than physically removing it, used when removal would create more fiber-release risk than leaving it in place.
NESHAP: National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants — the EPA regulation specifying work practices that must be followed during demolition or renovation of buildings that may contain asbestos.
Abatement: The general term for asbestos control work, encompassing removal, encapsulation, and enclosure methods used to eliminate or manage the hazard.

Monsoon Season: Arizona's storm season, running roughly mid-June through the end of September, marked by sudden, intense thunderstorms rather than steady rainfall.
Haboob: A wall of dust pushed ahead of a collapsing thunderstorm, common during Arizona monsoon season, that can drive fine dust into HVAC systems and attic vents ahead of the rain that typically follows.
Microburst: A concentrated downdraft of wind from a thunderstorm that can exceed 60 mph in seconds, a leading cause of sudden roof and structural wind damage during Arizona monsoons.

IICRC: The Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification, the industry body that sets the technical standards for water, fire, and mold restoration work and certifies individual technicians.
IICRC S500: The ANSI/IICRC standard for professional water damage restoration, defining water categories, drying classes, and accepted mitigation and drying procedures.
IICRC S520: The ANSI/IICRC standard for professional mold remediation, covering inspection, containment, removal, and post-remediation verification procedures.
IICRC S700: The ANSI/IICRC standard for professional fire and smoke damage restoration, covering assessment, cleaning, and odor-elimination procedures.
WRT: Water Damage Restoration Technician — an IICRC certification covering the fundamentals of water damage mitigation, extraction, and structural drying.
ASD: Applied Structural Drying — an IICRC certification covering advanced structural drying techniques, psychrometry, and dehumidification science.
FSRT: Fire and Smoke Restoration Technician — an IICRC certification covering professional fire damage cleanup, soot removal, and smoke odor elimination.

Xactimate: Line-item estimating software used industry-wide by restoration companies and insurance adjusters, producing a standardized, itemized repair estimate that insurers can review and approve.
ALE (Additional Living Expenses): An insurance policy provision that may cover temporary housing and related costs if a covered loss makes a home temporarily uninhabitable during restoration.
Free Estimate: A no-obligation, on-site inspection and written cost estimate provided before any restoration work begins, typically prepared using Xactimate so it's in a format insurance adjusters accept directly.

Water Damage Terms

Mold & Air Quality Terms

Fire & Smoke Terms

Asbestos Terms

Arizona Storm Terms

Industry Standards & Certifications

Insurance & Process Terms

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