“Airing out” vs. “Structural Drying”

Occasionally, every home has a water spill or leak that requires clean up. For a small spill, mopping up the standing water, turning on a fan and opening up a few windows might be enough to dry out the room. However, excessive moisture within the walls, ceilings, floors, and household contents provide fertile ground for mold and mildew.  Effectively drying everything within 48 hours will minimize mold growth, lessen building materials damage, and avoid serious health issues.

The average homeowner is underprepared to handle a large water intrusion. An effective extraction plan results in the fastest drying time by managing humidity, airflow, and temperature. Professionals use industrial extraction tools like light wands, vacuum squeegees, and submersion pumps. And your small box fans can’t compare with professional evaporation tools such as air movers, floor drying systems, and negative air machines.

Structural Drying Services

Applied structural drying is part of the professional water damage recovery curriculum developed by the Institute for Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC). The science and technology of water damage remediation continues to evolve rapidly; standard procedures now minimize disruption to structure and occupants. Certification in this specialty involves techniques that extend beyond just getting water out. Here’s how elements of applied structural drying make water damage recovery a science, as well as a trained skill:

Methods

As a critical part of structural drying, psychrometry is a system of accurately measuring moisture content inside a water-damaged house, tracking the recovery process and verifying that industry-standard criteria have been achieved. Assessing the extent, pinpointing the location of water damage and documenting results requires specialized techniques and the trained expertise of IICRC-certified technicians. Psychrometry ensures consistent results and typically accelerates the water damage recovery process.

Drying In Place

Emptying the entire house, tearing out carpets and dismantling structure in a random search for water is not an effective mitigation strategy. Structural “drying in place” utilizes techniques to accurately detect and dry moisture, thus allowing recovery professionals to target specific areas without expending time and effort on areas unaffected by water.

Principles of structural drying typically rely more on technology and specialized equipment than traditional methods. For example, instead of always ripping up wet carpets and padding, drying in place utilizes powerful extractors that can pull clean water out of carpets without removing them from the house.

Professional Drying Services in South Carolina

When researching companies to help with water damage to your home or business, some critical capabilities to consider are:

• Proper tools and expertise in infrared thermal imaging to locate all hidden sources of moisture.
• Equipment set up and daily monitoring of the drying process.
• Thorough extraction of all standing water plus moisture management of contents.
• Processes and experience to speed insurance claims including humidity and moisture documentation

One of the most important aspects of structural drying is finding the moisture that can’t be seen by the naked eye. Clean Masters has sophisticated equipment that is used to locate and track moisture that may be difficult to locate. By combining this equipment with our expertly trained technicians, Clean Masters has developed a detailed and comprehensive process that successfully eliminates all moisture from a structure and its contents.

For any water damage help in Charleston, Summerville, Harleyville, Reevesville, Ridgeville, Saint George or surrounding cities, contact Clean Masters today at (843) 972-3555 or at Cleanmasters911.com .