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Water damage emergencies can take over your home or business very quickly. If you fail to take care of water damage within hours, it can cause permanent destruction.
That’s why professional restoration companies use industrial drying equipment. Here’s what you should know about drying equipment and how it’s used:
When water damage happens, it’s never just water sitting on your floor. There is water that you can see and water that you can’t. Destructive moisture seeps into your walls, floors, and ceilings. If it isn’t removed, mould can start growing within 24 to 48 hours.
Not only does mould cause property damage, but it can cause major health issues for you and your family. That’s why your restoration crew will use powerful drying equipment. This equipment extracts moisture from your property that you can’t see.
If water damage occurs, you will notice various equipment at your home or business. Professional restoration companies have several types of equipment that they use.
Air movers are industrial size fans. They create large volumes of airflow across wet surfaces. This accelerates the evaporation process. Instead of waiting for your floors and carpets to dry, an air mover helps them dry faster.
Restoration specialists may also refer to these as “air blower” or “carpet dryer”. Several air movers are placed around the affected area and angled to create a flow of air.
Once air is pushed into the air by air movers, you will find dehumidifiers. These remove any moisture out of the air and reduce the humidity levels. Think of these machines like your air conditioner at home.
There are two types of dehumidifiers: refrigerant and desiccant. Refrigerant dehumidifiers remove moisture by cooling air, similar to your home air conditioner. Desiccant/waterless dehumidifiers use absorbent materials that soak up water from the air.
Water damage can contain many contaminants. An air scrubber does just that and scrubs the air while drying takes place. These machines have filters that capture mould spores, bacteria, and odours.
Air scrubbers are used when sewage and grey water damage your property. They help keep you and your family safe from further damage.
Moisture meters aren’t necessarily used to dry your home, but they help determine when everything is dry. These meters allow restoration professionals to determine the moisture levels in various materials.
Restoration professionals use moisture meters on floors, ceilings, and walls. By using this equipment, restoration technicians know what areas are completely dry.
When water damage occurs, it is critical to dry your property immediately. Professional restoration companies know exactly how to use their equipment.
As mentioned earlier, the first step to drying your home is to determine how much moisture is in your property. Teams use moisture meters to find all the affected areas. Then, they extract as much water as possible by using pumps or wet vacuums.
Once they have completed these steps, the teams place their equipment accordingly. They strategically place air movers and dehumidifiers to create a pattern of airflow. This allows the moisture to evaporate from your materials and into the air.
Another reason why technicians place equipment strategically is because they constantly monitor progress. Teams will check moisture readings 2-3 times per day to ensure they don’t miss a thing. If needed, they will move equipment around to ensure that everything dries quickly and efficiently.
You may be thinking that you can dry your property yourself. Perhaps you have some fans and a dehumidifier in your attic. However, your household fans and dehumidifier aren’t comparable to professional-grade equipment.
Commercial air movers circulate 10-20x more air than your household fans. And a professional-grade dehumidifier can remove up to 300 pints of water from the air every day. Do you know how much water your household dehumidifier can remove? Maybe 50 pints? This is why restoration technicians can dry your home in a matter of days.
Restoration technicians understand how to use their equipment without causing secondary damage. If you take too long to dry your home, you’ll grow mould. Dry your home too fast and your wood can split and warp. Restoration professionals know how to balance airflow and dehumidification rates.
Each water damage situation is unique. Depending on your restoration project, your technicians may use additional equipment.
Injection drying systems are used to dry hardwood floors. Water damages can wreak havoc on nice flooring. An injection drying system pumps warm air underneath the flooring to dry it from below.
Wall cavity drying systems are similar to injection drying systems only this equipment is used on walls. These pumps allow moisture to dry out without cutting open your walls. You’ll save money by not needing to fix or replace your walls.
Technicians use thermal imaging cameras to detect moisture behind walls and ceilings. These cameras can detect hidden moisture that your eyes can’t see.
Drying doesn’t just happen because you want it to. Water is connected to other materials by physical and chemical bonds. The hotter it is, the faster water will evaporate. Airflow and humidity levels also make a difference.
Restoration technicians have the ability to manipulate all these variables. Air movers increase airflow, which displaces water. And when dehumidifiers remove the moisture from the air, there is more room for water to evaporate. Professional drying machines can dry your home far quicker than natural means.
Here’s a real-world example of restoration professionals using drying equipment to remediate water damage and stabilise a structure…
This UK-based water damage case study, published by restoration experts Ideal Response, details how technicians rescued a home that suffered from flooding and other forms of water intrusion. Restoration personnel used Protobi industrial air movers and dehumidifiers throughout the home to properly dry out the building and surrounding areas.
Air movers served to increase airflow throughout the property while dehumidifiers removed excess moisture from the air. By measuring humidity and running their equipment to decrease relative humidity to acceptable levels, these drying professionals were able to restore safe conditions using their drying equipment.
Real Restoration Carries Quotes: https://www.idealresponse.co.uk/case-studies/domestic-water-damage-restoration-in-margate/
Water damage is bad and drying equipment can make it right. Professionals use powerful equipment to prevent further damage. Moisture can lead to mould growth and other serious damages. Don’t wait until it’s too late to call for help. Water damage can ruin your life, but professional drying equipment can fix it.
Household fans and dehumidifiers are not powerful enough for significant water damage. Professional-grade equipment circulates up to 20 times more air and removes far more moisture, drying your property in days instead of weeks and preventing serious issues like mould.
Mould can start to grow in as little as 24 to 48 hours after water damage occurs. This is why it's essential to begin the professional drying process immediately to protect your property and your health.
An air mover is a high-powered fan designed to speed up the evaporation of water from surfaces like carpets and floors. An air scrubber, on the other hand, is an air filtration device that removes contaminants like mould spores, bacteria, and odours from the air during the restoration process.
They don't guess. Restoration professionals use specialised moisture meters to measure the moisture content within materials like walls, floors, and ceilings. This ensures every affected area is returned to its proper dry standard before the job is considered complete.
If used incorrectly, yes. Drying a home too quickly can cause wood to split and warp. This is why hiring professionals is so important. They understand how to balance airflow and dehumidification to dry your home efficiently without causing secondary damage. For expert guidance, resources from firms like Robin Waite Limited can offer valuable insights into business best practices.