If you have ever had a water loss requiring mitigation, you know that the technicians must check regularly to make sure drying is progressing and to determine when it is time to remove the equipment. To understand what they are doing, you need to understand what they are looking for when they evaluate the damage from a water loss.
The purpose of a water damage mitigation is to stop water from doing more damage, and to dry out the affected areas before repairs begin. So how do we know what areas are affected by water damage, and when an affected area is dry? On their first visit to the damage site, ServiceMaster technicians use special equipment to measure the moisture levels of different areas of the building to determine where the water went. They start at the point of origin (or source of loss, in insurance terms) and check throughout the home or business for water damage. What is wet, and how deep into the affected materials (walls, floors, etc.) did water travel? This investigation tells us which areas need mitigation.
Materials in the building all contain a certain amount of moisture. So how much water do we need to remove in order to call a material “dry?” If materials are dried too much they can be damaged further. For instance, hardwoods used in flooring contain some moisture. If that moisture level increases, the wood will swell and warp. If the moisture level decreases below normal, the wood will crack and possibly shrink, ruining the floor. Thus, the goal is to restore the wood to its normal moisture level.
Determining the normal moisture level is not simple, however. Various buildings contain different “normal” moisture levels. Wood in buildings has been installed with a moisture level appropriate for that building, but that level may not be appropriate for another environment. The mitigation specialist’s job is to determine the proper moisture level for materials in a wet environment, and then dry those materials to that level, and no more. The best way to determine proper moisture levels is to measure them in an unaffected area of the building. Those levels become the “dry standard” for that building, and they are the goal we seek in mitigation.
Setting the goal is an important first step in mitigation, but the specialist must be prepared to get materials to that goal. Normally the first action in water mitigation is extraction. More water can be removed through extraction than by any other method. If you have seen soaking wet carpet, you know this to be true. However, after extraction there is usually a lot of water left where it should not be. That is where expert mitigation strategies come into play. Some materials must be removed immediately, for instance carpet padding, and sometimes carpet, since they are already damaged and cannot be restored,. Some flooring may need to be removed to allow the drying of trapped moisture. Likewise, often sheetrock and insulation may have to be cut out to allow drying inside walls. It is after these preliminary steps that an expert remediator will proceed toward reaching dry standards.
Getting from the initial water removal steps to the final dry standards is where real expertise is required. The process we normally use involves drying the air in a building, then moving that dry air over wet surfaces to speed the evaporation of water trapped below the surface. The moisture picked up by the air is then removed from the structure. The equipment used in this process is primarily air movers and dehumidifiers. These are not “fans” and little box dehumidifiers like you might have in your basement. The air movers are designed to provide laminar air flow, or smooth flow over a wide surface, to promote evaporation. The dehumidifiers are specially designed to remove the maximum amount of water from the air. Many of them actually record the moisture of the air entering and exiting the machine, to verify that proper drying is taking place. On subsequent visits to the site, technicians measure all areas to make sure the affected areas are drying, and moisture levels are making adequate progress toward dry standards. Technicians need to know how much more drying is needed and whether equipment needs to be moved around to focus on “hot spots” for more even drying of the water damaged area. Temperature and humidity are measured in the affected areas, unaffected areas, and outdoors. The latter measurement is important because the external environment does affect the drying area. Drying is slower on a rainy day when humidity is high than on a bright sunny day when it is lower. The humidity inside the affected areas compared to outside and unaffected areas also helps technicians know if affected materials are drying correctly. Sometimes water damage mitigations are used to dry behind walls, under cabinets, under flooring or other areas that cannot be seen or touched directly. In these cases, technicians must use other methods to know if they are pulling excess moisture out of affected materials.
The goal of mitigation is to dry the affected areas to the dry standard. Since we live in Georgia, there is no such thing as material in a home or business that has a moisture reading of 0. Different structures have different humidity levels inside depending on many factors. Examples of this include how much the building is open to the outside weather, how much the HVAC is used, whether humidifiers or dehumidifiers are used in the home, whether there are large amounts of water used regularly (showers, laundry, dishwashing, etc.) and even how well sealed is the building itself. Fish tanks are a huge factor in homes. They are large containers of water being circulated continuously, which makes them full time humidifiers. Because of this large variety of factors, every loss needs to be individually evaluated by a professional water damage mitigation technician. Once the materials in the affected areas are getting the same readings as the materials in the unaffected areas, they are surface dry. Once the humidity in the affected areas is balanced with the humidity in the unaffected areas along with the surface area of affected materials being dry, the structure has reached a dry standard. This means the materials are as dry as the rest of the building and are not holding excess moisture.
In most cases, the damaged materials are removed which allows technicians to dry underneath or inside the cavity behind them. There are, however, some circumstances where these materials must be left in place during the drying process. Examples include materials that are needed for the home to normally operate such as cabinets and flooring when the customer is still living there and needs to use it. Sometimes the materials are protecting something else and need to be replaced as soon as possible after removal. They are left until repairs begin to minimize the time those materials are missing. The most common examples are exterior walls and flooring that covers a crawlspace. In these cases, affected materials must be left in place to stabilize the indoor environment and keep wildlife outside the building. Once the contractor doing the repairs removes affected materials that had to be left for whatever reason, there may be trapped moisture underneath that needs a day or two of equipment to dry it completely before the new material is put back in place. This ensures the area is not going to suffer further water damage such as rot or mold. Since the contractor is there doing repairs already, this is a much shorter time for the area to be exposed or out of commission. In this past year, ServiceMaster of Gwinnett and ServiceMaster 5 Points Athens have seen customers have to wait for up to 6 months to get repairs started from the date that the water damage mitigation has ended. This is too long to have a section of the home or business unusable or open to the elements which is why those materials are left in place until repairs begin.
Once all materials reach a dry standard in a home or business, the water damage mitigation is complete, and repairs should begin. By ensuring that this process is completed, you know that the area will be safe from further water damage in hidden areas. Damage from hidden or trapped moisture inevitably leads to bigger repairs and potential health risks, so it is important to hire a trained specialist to be sure the job is done right. If you have ever had a water loss requiring mitigation, you know that the technicians must check regularly to make sure drying is progressing and to determine when it is time to remove the equipment. To understand what they are doing, you need to understand what they are looking for when they evaluate the damage from a water loss.
The purpose of a water damage mitigation is to stop water from doing more damage, and to dry out the affected areas before repairs begin. So how do we know what areas are affected by water damage, and when an affected area is dry? On their first visit to the damage site, ServiceMaster technicians use special equipment to measure the moisture levels of different areas of the building to determine where the water went. They start at the point of origin (or source of loss, in insurance terms) and check throughout the home or business for water damage. What is wet, and how deep into the affected materials (walls, floors, etc.) did water travel? This investigation tells us which areas need mitigation.
Materials in the building all contain a certain amount of moisture. So how much water do we need to remove in order to call a material “dry?” If materials are dried too much they can be damaged further. For instance, hardwoods used in flooring contain some moisture. If that moisture level increases, the wood will swell and warp. If the moisture level decreases below normal, the wood will crack and possibly shrink, ruining the floor. Thus, the goal is to restore the wood to its normal moisture level.
Determining the normal moisture level is not simple, however. Various buildings contain different “normal” moisture levels. Wood in buildings has been installed with a moisture level appropriate for that building, but that level may not be appropriate for another environment. The mitigation specialist’s job is to determine the proper moisture level for materials in a wet environment, and then dry those materials to that level, and no more. The best way to determine proper moisture levels is to measure them in an unaffected area of the building. Those levels become the “dry standard” for that building, and they are the goal we seek in mitigation.
Setting the goal is an important first step in mitigation, but the specialist must be prepared to get materials to that goal. Normally the first action in water mitigation is extraction. More water can be removed through extraction than by any other method. If you have seen soaking wet carpet, you know this to be true. However, after extraction there is usually a lot of water left where it should not be. That is where expert mitigation strategies come into play. Some materials must be removed immediately, for instance carpet padding, and sometimes carpet, since they are already damaged and cannot be restored,. Some flooring may need to be removed to allow the drying of trapped moisture. Likewise, often sheetrock and insulation may have to be cut out to allow drying inside walls. It is after these preliminary steps that an expert remediator will proceed toward reaching dry standards.
Getting from the initial water removal steps to the final dry standards is where real expertise is required. The process we normally use involves drying the air in a building, then moving that dry air over wet surfaces to speed the evaporation of water trapped below the surface. The moisture picked up by the air is then removed from the structure. The equipment used in this process is primarily air movers and dehumidifiers. These are not “fans” and little box dehumidifiers like you might have in your basement. The air movers are designed to provide laminar air flow, or smooth flow over a wide surface, to promote evaporation. The dehumidifiers are specially designed to remove the maximum amount of water from the air. Many of them actually record the moisture of the air entering and exiting the machine, to verify that proper drying is taking place. On subsequent visits to the site, technicians measure all areas to make sure the affected areas are drying, and moisture levels are making adequate progress toward dry standards. Technicians need to know how much more drying is needed and whether equipment needs to be moved around to focus on “hot spots” for more even drying of the water damaged area. Temperature and humidity are measured in the affected areas, unaffected areas, and outdoors. The latter measurement is important because the external environment does affect the drying area. Drying is slower on a rainy day when humidity is high than on a bright sunny day when it is lower. The humidity inside the affected areas compared to outside and unaffected areas also helps technicians know if affected materials are drying correctly. Sometimes water damage mitigations are used to dry behind walls, under cabinets, under flooring or other areas that cannot be seen or touched directly. In these cases, technicians must use other methods to know if they are pulling excess moisture out of affected materials.
The goal of mitigation is to dry the affected areas to the dry standard. Since we live in Georgia, there is no such thing as material in a home or business that has a moisture reading of 0. Different structures have different humidity levels inside depending on many factors. Examples of this include how much the building is open to the outside weather, how much the HVAC is used, whether humidifiers or dehumidifiers are used in the home, whether there are large amounts of water used regularly (showers, laundry, dishwashing, etc.) and even how well sealed is the building itself. Fish tanks are a huge factor in homes. They are large containers of water being circulated continuously, which makes them full time humidifiers. Because of this large variety of factors, every loss needs to be individually evaluated by a professional water damage mitigation technician. Once the materials in the affected areas are getting the same readings as the materials in the unaffected areas, they are surface dry. Once the humidity in the affected areas is balanced with the humidity in the unaffected areas along with the surface area of affected materials being dry, the structure has reached a dry standard. This means the materials are as dry as the rest of the building and are not holding excess moisture.
In most cases, the damaged materials are removed which allows technicians to dry underneath or inside the cavity behind them. There are, however, some circumstances where these materials must be left in place during the drying process. Examples include materials that are needed for the home to normally operate such as cabinets and flooring when the customer is still living there and needs to use it. Sometimes the materials are protecting something else and need to be replaced as soon as possible after removal. They are left until repairs begin to minimize the time those materials are missing. The most common examples are exterior walls and flooring that covers a crawlspace. In these cases, affected materials must be left in place to stabilize the indoor environment and keep wildlife outside the building. Once the contractor doing the repairs removes affected materials that had to be left for whatever reason, there may be trapped moisture underneath that needs a day or two of equipment to dry it completely before the new material is put back in place. This ensures the area is not going to suffer further water damage such as rot or mold. Since the contractor is there doing repairs already, this is a much shorter time for the area to be exposed or out of commission. In this past year, ServiceMaster of Gwinnett and ServiceMaster 5 Points Athens have seen customers have to wait for up to 6 months to get repairs started from the date that the water damage mitigation has ended. This is too long to have a section of the home or business unusable or open to the elements which is why those materials are left in place until repairs begin.
Once all materials reach a dry standard in a home or business, the water damage mitigation is complete, and repairs should begin. By ensuring that this process is completed, you know that the area will be safe from further water damage in hidden areas. Damage from hidden or trapped moisture inevitably leads to bigger repairs and potential health risks, so it is important to hire a trained specialist to be sure the job is done right.
