| Have you ever wondered if the drying contractor | | | | more water. |
| you were working with on a water damage claim | | | | In 2005 the Phoenix Corporation came out with a |
| REALLY KNOWS what they were doing and why | | | | Low Grain Refrigerant that can also operate |
| they are doing it? | | | | efficiently in high heat. The Phoenix 200 HT. This is |
| If you haven't, YOU SHOULD! | | | | the most efficient refrigerant dehumidifier on the |
| There is one way to make sure the drying | | | | market today. In May 2006 Phoenix introduced a |
| contractors you work with on your losses know | | | | performance amplifier that will sit on top of their |
| what they are doing... See how they answer | | | | 200 Max's and 200 HT's. The performance |
| these questions! | | | | amplifier will increase the efficiency of the |
| 1. What extraction tool do you use?o When? | | | | dehumidifier from 40 to 400%. These two new |
| There are many different kinds of extraction | | | | products together will allow us to dry structures |
| tools. The most common is the "carpet cleaning | | | | even faster than we were before and tear up |
| wand". This wand comes with all truck mounted | | | | less of the structure in the process. |
| units when they are bought so naturally it is the | | | | 4. Desiccant dehumidifiers - take water out in the |
| most popular. If you are going to dry the carpet | | | | form of a gas. Desiccants work best outside the |
| and pad in place, you must have a self-propelled | | | | drying chamber and in cold temperatures. |
| extractor that you ride. The carpet cleaning wand | | | | Desiccants do not work well in high temperatures. |
| is only effective on glue down carpet. It is easier | | | | They can pull the grains of moisture down to |
| to extract then to evaporate and this is why the | | | | 10-15 gpp's or lower. Most desiccants used in the |
| extraction tool is so important. | | | | restoration industry contain silica gel. This is a |
| 2. How many CFM does your truck mount / | | | | highly absorbent compound. Desiccants work well |
| portable extraction unit have? | | | | when drying a crawl space, wood floor, large |
| Either a truck mount unit or a portable extraction | | | | structure, etc. When drying a crawlspace with a |
| unit that can outperform a truck mount is | | | | desiccant then you would never want to positively |
| preferable. It is also important to know that for | | | | pressure the crawlspace. Since desiccants can be |
| every foot of 2" vacuum hose you have | | | | set up positive, negative, or neutral you must |
| connected you lose 1 CFM. Water should never be | | | | know how and why to set one up properly. Even |
| extracted with a 1 ½" hose. When the | | | | though there is no better dehumidifier than a |
| hose is reduced by ½" the amount of | | | | desiccant only about 1% of the drying companies |
| vacuum is reduced by 1/3. This is very critical | | | | own any. There are three main reasons:o The |
| when trying to dry the carpet and pad in place. | | | | cost of buying a desiccant is generally much more |
| Any reduction in vacuum will reduce the amount | | | | expensive than the cost of several refrigerants.o |
| of water that is pulled out. This will further | | | | The electrical requirements are usually such that |
| increase the drying time. | | | | they require an electrician for hook up.o The time |
| NOTE: IT IS 500% EASIER TO EXTRACT THAN | | | | it takes to set up a desiccant is greater than the |
| IT IS TO EVAPORATE! | | | | time it takes to set up a refrigerant dehumidifier. |
| 3. When do you float carpet and why do you | | | | 6. How do you determine how much |
| need to float carpet?o If leaving the carpet in a | | | | dehumidification you need? |
| structure, how do you dry it? | | | | First of all, we like to create as small of a drying |
| Floating carpet can cause it to delaminate or to | | | | chamber as possible so that we can use the least |
| fray at the edges. If carpet is allowed to bounce | | | | amount of equipment possible. This is done by the |
| up and down on the tack strip, the edges will fray | | | | following:o Closing doorso Putting up Plastic to |
| and you just bought carpet. What if your | | | | separate areaso Make sure all doors and windows |
| restoration company could dry carpet and pad in | | | | are closed |
| place and reduce the cost of your claims. | | | | After making a drying chamber then figure up the |
| Reducing the cost of your claims is our goal. Since | | | | amount of cubic feet of air to be dried. You can |
| carpet and pad is the majority of the cost on | | | | then determine what size and how many |
| many claims, by drying the carpet and pad in | | | | dehumidifiers will be necessary to dry the job. |
| place along with the rest of the structure, we can | | | | There is a chart included on the next page that |
| drastically reduce the cost of your claims. | | | | has the formula for figuring how many |
| Floating the carpet is a thing of the past and | | | | dehumidifiers and what style are needed. |
| should almost never be done. It will actually slow | | | | 7. How do you determine how many fans are |
| down the drying time by floating the carpet. | | | | needed on a job? |
| 4. When is carpet most susceptible to | | | | Fans should be placed every 12 -16 feet in a |
| delamination?o Wet or dry? | | | | circular motion around the room. They should be |
| Most of the time, delaminated carpet is the result | | | | placed as close to the wall as possible at a 45 |
| of the way it is handled while wet. Carpet is 70 - | | | | degree angle. Doors should be removed from the |
| 80% weaker when it is wet and thus it can | | | | hinges so that air circulation does not get trapped |
| delaminate very quickly in a water damage | | | | behind the door. When carpet is involved one fan |
| situation. If the carpet and pad are left down to | | | | can be placed in the middle of the room on a |
| dry and not disturbed, the chances of delamination | | | | stand pointing down. |
| are almost none. There have been tests done by | | | | 8. What type of meters are used?o Floorso |
| the carpet mills that show after a carpet has | | | | Sub-floorso Wallso Psychrometric Readingso |
| been wet and dried, in a reasonable amount of | | | | Infrared Thermometer |
| time, the carpet is actually stronger than before. | | | | There are a variety of meters on the market |
| 5. What kind of dehumidifier(s) do you use?o And | | | | today. You can test building materials with pinless |
| why? | | | | meters or meters that have pins. The pinless |
| There are four different types of dehumidifiers | | | | meters are preferable because they do not |
| used in the restoration industry. In my opinion, | | | | damage the wall in the process of checking for |
| only two of them can actually dry a structure | | | | moisture. There are also various other meters |
| rapidly. If one of the first two style of | | | | such as infrared thermometers, hygrometers, |
| dehumidifiers are used it is a waste of money and | | | | moisture probes for carpet, hammer probes for |
| time. | | | | checking wood floors, etc. A good drying |
| 1. Standard Refrigerants - Homeowners and | | | | contractor will have many different types of |
| professionals, in some cases, use low capacity | | | | meters and will know how to use them. |
| standard refrigerants. They are not built for the | | | | 9. Do you use psychrometrics on EVERY drying |
| excessive transportation involved in commercial | | | | job?o If so, what does psychrometry tell you |
| usage. When temperatures drop below 68°F, | | | | about your job? |
| ice will start to form on the coils, as the | | | | Using psychrometrics on EVERY drying job will tell |
| temperature drops, eliminating any | | | | you if the job is set up to dry. It will not tell you |
| dehumidification. These dehumidifiers are only | | | | if it is dry or not. If you are keeping a |
| capable of pulling the grains of moisture inside the | | | | psychrometric chart on every job it will tell you |
| drying chamber down to 55-60 gpp's (grains of | | | | many different things:o Whether or not the |
| moisture per pound of air). At this point, | | | | dehumidifiers are pulling water and functioning |
| dehumidification will stop. The energy efficiency is | | | | properlyo If you have a drying chambero If you |
| about 2-3 pints per kilowatt. | | | | have enough equipmento Whether or not the A |
| 2. Conventional Refrigerants - Conventional | | | | C is pulling watero Shows how the equipment is |
| refrigerants have a "defrost" cycle. Heat pipes in | | | | performing in relation to what is happening outside |
| this refrigerant are a pair of coils sandwiched | | | | and in the unaffected areas |
| around the evaporator of a refrigeration system. | | | | 10. If there is moisture under vinyl, how do you |
| They contain refrigerant and transfer heat around | | | | dry it?o How do you dry behind vinyl wallpaper or |
| the evaporator without the use of compressors | | | | a vinyl floor? |
| or capillary tubes to prevent icing. The warm air | | | | To dry the floor under the vinyl most of the |
| that enters the evaporator is cooled by the first | | | | times it is necessary to remove the vinyl. To dry |
| heat pipe. This absorbed heat travels to the | | | | the wall behind vinyl wallpaper, most of the time |
| second heat pipe, which is cooled by the air | | | | you will need to remove it. However, sometimes |
| leaving the compressor. All this means is that the | | | | you can get to the wall by removing the |
| dehumidifier will not freeze up in temperatures as | | | | baseboards and blowing air up in the wall. It will |
| low as 33°F. They work exactly like a | | | | even dry faster if you are able to let the air out |
| standard refrigerants otherwise. They also, can | | | | at the top of the wall. This will allow the wet air |
| only pull the gpp's down to 55-60. | | | | out of the wall while you are blowing in more dry |
| 3. Low Grain Refrigerants (LGR) - The incoming | | | | air from the bottom, thus drying the wall |
| air is pre-cooled by re-directing air leaving the | | | | extremely fast. |
| evaporator back through the inlet air chamber. | | | | BONUS: |
| This pre-cooling is what makes LGR's work so | | | | How often do you check your water damage |
| efficiently. The heat transfer is accomplished | | | | jobs? |
| without additional energy consumption. LGR's pull | | | | It is important to check the jobs at least once |
| the grains of moisture down to 32-35 gpp's. They | | | | every 24 hours. There will be fans that need to |
| also contain a defrost cycle. There are two types | | | | be moved around and questions from the |
| of LGR's on the market today. Heat pipe design | | | | homeowner that need to be addressed. We |
| with an energy efficiency of 3-5 pints/kilowatt | | | | check all water damage jobs at least once a day. |
| and the recuperative design with an energy | | | | This includes weekends and holidays. Jobs that are |
| efficiency of 5-7 pints/kilowatt. As you can tell, | | | | close to us will sometimes be checked two or |
| the recuperative design is much more efficient in | | | | three times a day. These jobs usually dry faster |
| the amount of energy it pulls and in the amount | | | | than a job across town. If a company does |
| of water it pulls. The LGR's with the recuperative | | | | nothing else we have previously discussed they |
| design will actually pull less electricity than most | | | | can still speed up the job by just checking it |
| conventional dehumidifiers, blow more air, and pull | | | | every day. |