If you encounter flooding in your home or commercial structure, is it enough to drain away or pump off stagnant water and then mop up? Not really. That’s just the first stage of insurance against different water damage types such as warping, buckling, decay, and mold build-up.
Also, you can only use a wet vac to rid building surfaces and carpets of dampness if just a single room was affected and water didn’t get enough time to thoroughly soak underlying areas. But what if sufficient water has gone through, soaking wood sub-floors and concrete or creeping upward walls? It can take significant time to dry when it gets to that extreme. And during this time, there is a more likely chance of having incurred progressive damage.
If there is no thoroughly executed structural drying to extract deeply sitting wetness, you may sustain considerable damage, which you could avoid by reacting promptly. One way is by contacting professionals at Seattle’s reputable water restoration company.
What is Structural Drying
Structural drying involves the use of state-of-art equipment and procedures to extract deeply absorbed moisture in floors, ceilings, and other home areas until you achieve specific standards for safety and dryness. A professional flood damage restoration company often does that in a couple of days. They extensively dry out your structure, removing traces of water and moisture—the prominent ingredients for mold growths.
As you can tell, the immediate procedure entails water removal by mopping, pumping, draining, etc. Then, water extraction. Initial preparations involve the removal of damp items like furniture, clothing (or any unretrievable building material). The purpose is to lessen subsequent tasks, the phases of structural drying.
Phases of Structural Drying
Water Extraction
The immediate phase in structural drying involves water extraction. Stagnant and excess liquid water is removed from your premises with the help of high-powered pumps. Effectively done, it boosts the odds and efficiency of the structural drying by impacting the required duration to attain moisture equilibrium in building contents. It also determines the amount of drying equipment.
Airflow
Excessive water has been physically removed from different points. Now comes the airflow phase, typically performed using centrifugal fans. The goal is to eliminate enough moisture via evaporation.
At this point, remaining moisture is normally insignificant and removable via these high-velocity air movers. Current technologically advanced movers can achieve huge volumes of air movement at inconsiderable effort, boosting efficiency.
Typically, the technique is non-invasive. It doesn’t necessarily alter building integrity. But if the moisture is considerable (with some relative damage), a more invasive technique is vital to dry the structure within a reasonable time frame.
In recent decades, structural drying typically referred to removing or lifting carpets, but nowadays, that is most likely unnecessary. But it’s sometimes vital, depending on the situation. Some situations may even necessitate the removal of crown moldings and baseboards and digging multiple holes to speed up the drying process for structural framing. Then blowers that can attain higher air pressures produce dryer air, driving out moist air. Drugged-up holes are then covered by molding and baseboard replacements.
Dehumidification
Dehumidification is the next step and makes use of industrial high-volume refrigerant dehumidifiers. At this point, enough water has evaporated with the help of air movement. Typically, water evaporates into water vapor (water in the air). However, this air can only hold water to a certain amount beyond which it can take in any more—a state called the “dew point.”
The function of dehumidifiers is to eliminate this water before being absorbed back by close-sitting structures and materials. Dehumidification also lowers air pressure. That way, air movers can effectively execute their work of inducing moisture evaporation from wet components.
Dehumidifiers condense water vapor by the gallon. Moisture in the air moisture can be denoted in RH (relative humidity) or unit weight (grains) of water per pound. More Advanced dehumidifiers called LGR—low grain refrigerant dehumidifiers can resist temperature extremes. In addition, adjustments and frequent measurements are vital for keeping smooth running of operations. It also helps ensure there is negligible excess moisture remaining to disperse. However, it’s hardly possible to dry the building too quickly. This can be detrimental to woodwork and hardwood floors. Constant measurements should be considered, including structural moisture content and indoor air humidity.
Temperature Control
Temperature control is vital. Cooler air tends to stagnate evaporation. Encouraging extra warmth via temperature control speeds up evaporation. But the temperature must be ideal for the humidifier to work effectively. The typical temperature, in this case, ranges from 70 to 90 degrees.
In conclusion, the process of structural drying is not easy. It involves different sophisticated pieces of equipment working together to achieve an almost perfect result. Each step is crucial, and any mistake along the way can lead to disastrous consequences. That’s why it’s always best to hire a professional company that has the experience and expertise to handle such delicate situations.
