Structural Drying - An Overlooked Necessity
Most objects when exposed to water or high levels of humidity will absorb some of the water or moisture, making them damp or wet. Some objects will absorb more than others, each material being capable of holding a certain amount of water before becoming saturated, or the level where it can’t hold any more. On the molecular level, water molecules have filled the space between or attached themselves to the material. By drying the object we are providing an escape for the water molecules from the material and into the surrounding air.
Air also has a level of saturation, the point to where it can’t hold any more moisture. The higher the humidity, the closer the air is to its level of saturation. If the humidity is too high, or has a high vapor pressure, it won’t be able to accept the water molecules from the object to be dried. When we run dehumidifiers we are reducing the vapor pressure and pulling water molecules out of the air. When the vapor pressure decreases the air will be able to accept more new water molecules from the object being dried. The drier the surrounding air, the faster it will accept the water vapor from the wet objects.
Because it is 500 times easier to physically extract water than it is to evaporate it, the first thing we will do when you experience water damage is extract as much water as possible. Then, using psychrometrics, we will determine how many air movers are required and how many dehumidifiers and what sizes we will need. Air movers will be strategically placed creating an even airflow to the most critical areas of the structure.
The dehumidifiers placed on the job will vary in type and size depending on what is required. Each size and type will be able to “pull” a certain amount of water vapor out of the air. A typical flood job has a relative humidity in the range of 85% - 90%.
For more information take a look at the Related Content on the left.
