Dry Buildings

Description

Water, Water everywhere, but not where it's wanted. Water Damage can be as destructive, (or more) than fire and smoke damage. It often leaves less visible reminders than fire and smoke but the damage keeps getting worse until corrective action is taken. If some corrective action is not taken within 48-72 hours irreversible damage can occur raising the cost of restoration dramatically. Whatever the source of water damage, the impact on the affected structure is important. A rapid response to any water damage is necessary to prevent progressive material damage, growth of microorganisms and to minimize potential negative health effects. Health Hazard Untreated water damage can make people sick. Certainly sewage and gray water leaks and spills create bio-hazards but even clean water leaks can produce subsequent mold growth that is unhealthful to many and harmful to some. The Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification, (IICRC) (LINK) an International organization, has developed the S500 Standard for water damage restoration. They have also produced the S520 Standard for mold remediation. Water Damage Mitigation does not mean just suck up the standing water. Effect of Abnormal Water: Water indoors is an abnormal condition and can cause or contribute to a number of problems. The damage and health implications increase the longer materials remain wet. There are at least four progressive stages of indoor water damage as follows: 1. Water moves into areas not originally affected. Water spreads laterally into adjoining rooms, penetrates materials below and wicks up into porous materials above. It is best to evaluate all affected areas, not just areas with visible saturation. Water can wick through padding under carpets for several feet and not be evident from above by sight or touch. Thermal imaging and electronic moisture probes are necessary to accurately conduct a moisture damage assessment. 2. Saturated materials begin swelling as they absorb moisture. In many situations drying will restore them, and in others the damage may be permanent. Rapid drying will help reduce the chance of permanent damage. 3. As water evaporates it causes an elevated humidity condition. High humidity can damage some porous materials if allowed to continue. Humidity damage is most common when the indoor humidity exceeds 60% over time. It is best to reduce the indoor humidity quickly to help prevent humidity damage. 4. After water intrusion, mold and bacterial spores germinate and multiply. Given favorable conditions, one organism can multiply to more than one billion organisms in less than 24 hours. Microorganisms can cause mold damage and impact indoor air quality. Some microorganisms produce antigens and allergens which cause allergies while others can cause infections diseases. It's very important to note that carpet and pad are the easiest to dry. When water damage occurs the mitigation firm called needs to make sure the STRUCTURE is dry before removing necessary equipment. Secondary damage caused by wicking (such as in sheet rock walls) and moisture vapor adsorption into photos, paintings, and wall coverings can be stopped. It is very important for the contractor to do a complete inspection and check for wet walls, ceilings and cabinets. ESPECIALLY if the water came into the area from above. Improper drying techniques often contribute to secondary damage. Attempting to dry wet carpet with just an air mover and inadequate dehumidification causes excessive moisture in the air which then is absorbed by items like photographs, books, and framed picture matting. Mold will attack upholstered furniture and actually permanently stain fabrics. Chlorine bleach may be great for removing mold spots from bathroom tile but the results are disastrous when the product is used on a silk upholstered couch. It's just water, why does it cost so much? Insurance firms will pay for restoration and drying. They pay normal, customary and necessary charges. A couple of sources for average charges for water damage restoration are, The Bluebook of Cleaning, Reconstruction and Repair Costs and Xactimate (computer based). A few normal and customary charges directly from the Bluebook are listed later in this paper. It seems the insurance companies realize that it does cost a contractor quite a sum of money to operate a business, and are willing to pay to have a job done. Just "suck up" the water is a sure "set up" for a potential lawsuit. Dry it Out then Sort it Out or you will Tear it Out I'm waiting for the Adjuster!! As a policy holder it is your responsibility to take actions to reduce the damage of water. If you read your insurance contract you will note that the insurance company wants you to "at least" MITIGATE the damage. Allowing water to stand in a building, or stay within walls or crawl spaces or in any materials cause’s damages to increase. Mitigation slows and or stops further damages. You won't know the day of the flood if the insurance company will buy you new carpet but you can bet that they expect you to do your best to reduce their exposure to greater losses and larger claims. If an owner has no insurance then they face the risk of continued damaging conditions within their property and the potential (and getting bigger everyday) for legal action taken by a tenant or employee when the building develops "sick building syndrome" Principles of Drying There are four general principles used in drying water damaged structure and materials. 1. Excess Water Removal: Removing standing water and excess water from carpet and pad. Removal of standing water from hard floors, cabinets and interior wall cavities. NO ONE AND NO MACHINE CAN SUCTION A CARPET DRY. Extracting the water can be compared to the spin cycle of the washing machine. The clothes still musty be dried, and you would not put them on until they are. One great difference in this analogy is that at least the clothes are "clean" the carpet, and pad and surrounding areas are wet and contaminated. 2. Evaporation: Once excess water is removed remaining water must be changed from a liquid to a vapor by promoting evaporation. Normally this is accomplished with air moving equipment (axial fans and "blowers"). 3. Dehumidification: Once moisture is evaporated from the structure and materials into the air the moisture must be removed from the air through dehumidification. Failure to dehumidify may result is major secondary damage and present a significant health hazard. This is the second part of the washer and dryer example. Evaporation and dehumidification is the dryer step. 4. Temperature Control Both evaporation and temperature control are greatly enhanced by controlling temperature in a confined environment. Microbial growth is also temperature related. Warm air holds more moisture but excessive warmth promotes microbial growth. Control of the water damaged site is crucial to effective drying. Machines that are placed need to be left in place and left running. Doors that are open left open and closed doors closed. Along the Gulf Coast with our high humidity a sliding glass door opened for a hour or so can slow drying of a wet room by a day or more. What's involved in water damage mitigation? "Hello, I've got some water here, could you send someone out to suck it up"? Although the above scenario seems pretty simple imagine the potential. 1. What time is it? 10 am on a Tuesday or 3 am on Sunday morning. 2. Where, next-door, 25 miles away 3. Single story home or building, or 18 floors up in a secured building 4. How much water? Maybe just a 3 by 4 foot section of carpet is wet in front of a bathroom door, or perhaps a couple of bedrooms and living room are wet and they are furnished with king size bed, etc. plus entertainment center and hide a bed type couch in the living room. 5. What is the source of the water? An ice maker leaked or a sewer line backed up? 6. Is there carpet on the floor, with a pad underneath or is it commercial glue down. Maybe a heirloom Oriental rug? Perhaps a hard surface floor, but is it ceramic tile or hardwood or laminate. What is the sub floor? Concrete slab or perhaps plywood decking or even particle board? 7. Did the water rise from the surface of the floor in the affected room or did it run down from the ceiling from above. Are the walls wet? 8. Are people living in the home or condo or is it unoccupied? Is the area of the affected business open to the public or maybe in an area where traffic can be restricted. 9. How long has it been wet? Happened this morning, or "we discovered it when we returned from two weeks in Europe, must have leaked since we've been gone". 10. Has the water intrusion been stopped? The Bluebook (mentioned above) editors have surveyed the insurance companies and sampling of service providers throughout the country. Averages are then computed for all types of services and equipment rentals. Below are some 2006 prices. For example in the Bluebook the average price considered normal and customary for an air mover used in water damage mitigation is from $23.00 to $28.00 per day per air mover. Minimum charge to return to a water loss site and remove the equipment $38.00 to $56.00 per hour. Monitor equipment during drying this includes driving to the job and taking readings or measuring the progress of the drying process, and includes moving the equipment around to speed the process $39.00 to $52.50 per day. Dehumidifier 14 gallons per day capacity $70.00 to $86.00 per day per machine. Minimum Service call during regular business hours $75.00 to $120.00. Emergency Service call (Drop what you are doing and come NOW) $105.00-$150.00. These service calls would also cover one or more "minimum" services perhaps extraction of a small area and application of disinfectant. Rentals equipment is not include. Prices for all types of services are listed in the Bluebook. They are normal and customary and likely the ranges that water damage professionals will be charging. Some prices will be less, perhaps lower for the service calls and more for equipment rental. The Bluebook does not set prices it just reports them. So lets say a half million dollar condominium needs twelve hundred dollars worth of services and equipment to dry it and restore it after a water loss. Not really expensive if you compare the cost of properly drying a water damaged area or replacing that same area. Downright cheap if you consider the liability issue if a tenant or employee gets sick from improperly performed restoration. If you factor in the loss of use of the property if its lets say a vacation rental unit that goes for $2500 to $3000 per week during the season . . . , well it could cost a whole lot more to let it go than dry the unit. For more information on water damage restoration contact: Mike Conroy Expert Dry H2Out IICRC Certified Firm 1-888-6DRYOUT

Products & services

Similar companies nearby