Minneapolis Water and Flood Damage Restoration MN
Water Extraction, Structural Drying & Dehumidification MN Every homeowner should be aware or familiar with the classes of water losses and categories of water in order to understand the extent of losses and degree of damaged brought about by water into the household structure. Below are summarized descriptions on classes of water losses and categories of water: Category 1 – refers to clean water at source. Category 2 – starts with contamination and may cause sickness and other human discomforts once ingested. Category 3 – means highly unsanitary (since the source is from the sewage) and could cause illness or death once consumed by humans. *Water category 1 or 2 will eventually change to water category 2 or 3 when left unprocessed for a certain period of time. Class 1 – losses which are limited caught in the nick of time and contain few materials that are porous or absorbent. Class 2 – losses that involve high quantities or very absorbent materials like carpet and pads. Class 3 – involves water that comes from overhead, wall frames, ceilings, drywall, insulation and floor materials that are highly absorbent. Class 4 – is the special drying of materials in the form of concrete, stucco, hardwood, masonry, plaster and saturated ground soil. There are actually different techniques that are used for structural drying. One of these methods is the “in-place” drying technique which was used and taught in the early 1980’s. The “in-place” drying method during the past decades allows the drying of structural components without major taking away of furniture and fixtures. However, there were some limitations in the employment of equipment for extraction, evaporation and dehumidification. But in recent years, the “in-place” drying system has made great leaps and advances due in part to the better understanding of psychrometry; making the technique more practical and safer for everyone concerned. Principals Of Drying The use of ‘in-place” drying will depend on several factors that must be meticulously appraised should insufficient drying and secondary damages in the form of microbial growth are to be prevented from occurring. This includes but should not be limited to the following: 1. Qualification of the contractor or technicians who are hired to do the job. This would include experiences and academic training. 2. Availability of equipment that are technologically advanced. 3. The water damage contractor’s knowledge and implementation of the Four Principles of Drying, the Classes of Losses and Categories of Water. 4. Proper documentation of drying conditions and all activities therein, which should include illustrations of work progression. For a successful drying project and reduction of any probable microbial growth, a homeowner must be aware of the four significant principles of drying. which a water damage contractor will determine in the following order: What is Wet? How Wet is It? Are We Drying? Is it Dry? The four principles of this drying approach allows a water damage expert to perform its drying and dehumidification services as thoroughly and efficiently as possible, which greatly reduces the secondary damages of mold. 1. Excess Water Removal This pertains to draining, pumping, absorbing and vacuuming methods applied to remove the presence of visible water. It is said that the excess water removal principle is the most abused principle since some contractors are not willing to invest in proper equipment and time to extract surplus moisture sufficiently. In general, water removal could be done in minutes or seconds as compared to evaporation and dehumidification of the same water quantity that actually takes hours and days to finish. Proper water removal or extraction could cut down the Category 1, Class 2...
Read MoreWater Damage Restoration | Flood Damage Repair Minneapolis MN
Water Damage Repair and Restoration Minneapolis Years ago water damage restoration was really primitive compared to how it is done today. To say an industry has come a long way is an understatement. After years of careful analysis, today’s drying techniques are based on objective factors like: building size, type and amount of moisture present and materials involved. Precise instruments are used to measure the drying progress so that the technician is sure all moisture has been removed. There are a variety of equipment and solutions available to the contractor to remove water. A professional water damage restoration contractor should select the structural drying equipment in a scientific method based on materials, size of the water damage area, and the class and category of the water damage. Water Damage Is Classified by Category and Class of Damage: Category The Category of the water loss is based on the waters point of origin: CATEGORY 1 – Originates from a source that does not pose a substantial harm to humans. (Water from faucet, garden hose, water heater, water supply line etc.) CATEGORY 2 – Contains an elevated level of contamination and has potential to cause discomfort or sickness if consumed by or exposed to humans. (Water from dishwasher, washing machine, laundry tub, water softener etc.) CATEGORY 3 – Contains pathogenic (disease causing) agents and is grossly unsanitary.”Black water” includes sewage and other contaminated water sources entering or affecting the indoor environment. (Water from drains, rivers, lakes, oceans etc.) If Category 2 water is not removed promptly from the structure, it may be reclassified as Category 3. CLASS The Class of the water loss is based on the size and items affected: CLASS 1 – Slow rate of evaporation – (Least amount of water) Water losses that could affect only part of a room or area; or even large losses containing low permeability/porosity materials (e.g. plywood, particle board, structural wood, VCT, concrete.) Little or no wet carpet and/or cushion is present. Minimum amount of moisture can be held in the remaining structural materials. CLASS 2 -Fast rate of evaporation – (More water than class 1) Water losses that affect the entire room of “carpet and pad.” Water has wicked up the walls as much as 24 inches. There is moisture remaining in structural materials (e.g. plywood, particle board, structural wood, VCT, concrete.) Due to the amount of water held in dirt or mud, Crawl spaces in most circumstances, will also fit under Class 2. CLASS 3 – Fastest rate of evaporation – (Most amount of water) Water may have come from overhead. Everything is wet. Must have carpet and pad. Ceilings, walls, insulation, carpet, cushion, and sub floor in virtually the entire area are saturated. CLASS 4 – Specialty Drying Situation- (Same amount of water as a Class 1 ) These losses involve wet materials with very low permeability/porosity ( e.g. hardwoods, sub floor, plaster, brick, concrete, stone ) Class 4 differs from a Class 1 due to the deep pockets of saturation that require the use of a desiccant or low grain dehumidifier to achieve the low specific humidity. Even then, the Class 4 drying job will take longer to dry than a typical Class 1. Specialized Training When you are evaluating a water damage professional, it is best to look for a company that has the following: 1- Certification and training from an independent body like the IICRC. These individuals have been exposed to the basic and in some cases advanced methods of structural drying. They have attended several specialty drying schools where we were certified by the IICRC –...
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