How Does Commercial Drying & Dehumidification Work?
After a commercial building or facility has been damaged by water intrusion, regardless of the cause or extent, drying and dehumidification are two important processes that professional water damage restoration providers will utilize to help your business recover and get back into operations.
The goal of drying and dehumidification is to transform any wet and potentially damaged structure back into its pre-loss state (or better) in the most economical and efficient way.
Common Reasons Why Properties Need Drying & Dehumidification
When you think about the causes of water intrusion and water damage to commercial structures, you probably think of large-scale disasters like community-wide flooding or hurricanes. However, there are several smaller-scale reasons that can occur on a common basis that may lead to your commercial property needing professional drying and dehumidification services. Examples of these may include, but are not limited to:
- Water damage from leaks or floods
- Burst pipes and plumbing issues
- Firefighting efforts and sprinkler systems
- Moisture and humidity control in high-risk areas
- Mold remediation and prevention
- Renovation and construction projects
How the Process Works
Assessment
The first step is to identify all affected materials – which includes assessing damage to the structure itself and the contents inside. To successfully assess the extent of the damage, water must be tracked from its source and followed every direction to establish the entire perimeter of damage.
By using the right equipment, we can properly detect and measure moisture and humidity. In addition, thermo-hygrometers and thermal imaging cameras may also be used to identify all wet areas as a result of the water intrusion.
Then, the team will document what types of materials have been damaged – from carpet to subflooring to drywall, and more. The damaged materials will be evaluated to determine if they should be restored or replaced. The three decisive factors in determining the best protocol are based on:
- Degree of contamination
- Damage to the item
- Cost to replace the item versus the cost to restore the item
After the restorer considers these three factors, they can decide which materials can be dried and which are better off being replaced.
Water Extraction
After the initial assessment is performed, the first step is to perform commercial property water extraction. Water extraction is the process of removing the standing water from the affected areas.
By removing as much of the water as possible in this phase, it can help speed up the drying process.
Two ways to remove water from a wet building structure are by extraction and evaporation. During extraction, liquid water is vacuumed, mopped, and squeezed. Extraction is the ideal method, because it takes some energy, but not nearly as much as evaporation.
State-of-the-art vacuum equipment does the real work of the extraction process. The water is sucked into the machine, and then the restoration company can dump the water from the vacuum. Types of vacuums used in water extraction can include:
- Truck-mounted machines powered by gasoline engines
- Portable, electric vacuums
Once the excess water is removed, the remaining moisture needs to evaporate, or change from a liquid to a vapor. To accelerate this process, air moving equipment is utilized.
Dehumidification
When a facility experiences flood or water damage, regardless of the extent, it is important that the dehumidification process happens as quickly as possible to prevent mold growth.
Dehumidification reduces the moisture content of the air. Dehumidifiers balance the drying system by removing the moisture that air movers sweep away from wet materials. This balanced drying system is achieved when the rate of dehumidification is greater than or equal to the rate of evaporation.
Basically, a dehumidifier is an air conditioning device that reduces and sustains the level of humidity in the air – thus helping provide humidity control in commercial spaces.
For proper commercial property restoration services, our technicians are trained to understand how many dehumidifiers to place and which type of dehumidifier is best suited for each job. The goal of our professional drying services is to place the right number of dehumidifiers to keep the drying system balanced.
To facilitate both evaporation and dehumidification, it is essential to control the temperature in the affected area. In addition, microorganism growth is typically temperature related.
Air Movement
Commercial air movers are used as structural drying techniques to facilitate evaporation by circulating dry air across wet surfaces, expediting the drying process. Air movers are placed in the environment to ensure rapid evaporation across all affected surfaces. The number of air movers necessary depends upon the number of wet surfaces, the amount of water present, and the ability for air to reach each wet material (e.g., wall cavities, behind cabinets, under contents).
Monitoring
Throughout the entire process, our team of professionals will be monitoring and documenting the commercial drying process. That will allow us to know if adjustments to the number of dehumidifiers and air movers need to be made.
Moisture Removal
Moisture removal in commercial buildings is a specialized technique. Several technologies are available for mechanical dehumidification, and in addition, some specialized systems provide dehumidification by exchanging wet indoor air with air outside the structure. Each of these systems fills a specific need for the job at hand. Examples of these technologies include:
- Conventional Refrigerant
Conventional refrigerant dehumidifiers are the most basic portable dehumidifiers in the restoration industry, and remove water from the air via condensation. They are more efficient in higher humidity conditions, and work best between 70-90 degrees F.
- Low Grain Refrigerant
Low grain refrigerant (LGRs) are more energy efficient than other dehumidifiers in most drying situations. They work well in high humidity and also work efficiently in drier conditions.
- Desiccant Dehumidifiers
Desiccant dehumidifiers utilize chemical attraction instead of condensation to remove water from the air. Because they do not use condensation, they are not limited by low dew point temperatures, and when used properly, they produce the lowest vapor pressure of any dehumidifier.
Structural Drying
Building materials used in construction today vary greatly from materials used in the past. Many of today’s structures are built as “paperboard palaces,” using primarily engineered materials that have been designed with cost, handling and availability constraints in mind — not durability. The fact is: many of the components used in modern building materials do not endure well when exposed to elevated moisture levels. Yet, such exposure is unavoidable.
When abnormal levels of moisture are presented, many materials will begin to change in one way or another. Some changes — such as severe swelling and splitting — can be drastic and quite obvious. Other changes, such as hidden microbial growth, are just as serious but not as visible. This is why professional drying services are imperative for commercial and industrial water damage restoration.
Cleaning and Restoration
Once drying is complete, affected areas are thoroughly cleaned, sanitized, and restored to their pre-damage condition. Our teams are uniquely qualified to provide interior and exterior reconstruction services, while working closely with insurance professionals to ensure a seamless restoration experience. This means that we can rebuild any part of the building structure or surfaces that had to be removed during the restoration process.
Hire BMS CAT for your Commercial Needs
Should your business or commercial facility experience water damage, it is imperative to act quickly by contacting a professional company that provides commercial property restoration services. Since 1948, our company has provided drying and dehumidification for commercial properties. By utilizing our decades of knowledge and the right equipment, we can help your business by providing services to restore, rebuild and recover your property after damage.