Applied Structural Drying
vs.
Water Damage Restoration
In the 1970s and 1980s, water damage mitigation consisted of vaccuming the wet
carpet with a carpet cleaning wand and then leaving a few fans behind for three days.
The IICRC brought more professionalism to the restoration industry by
classifying water damage by the cleanlines of the water and by the size of and scope of a particular diaster. The
IICRC approved courses and teachers to make industry standards available for mitigation companies and technicians.
Individuals could take IICRC approved courses, and upon proving their competence by lengthy written exams, become
certified.
Manufacturers developed modern blowers and dehumidifiers that more effectively
dried the structure. Over the years, manufacturers have developed new equipment to address special circumstances
in Class 4
diasters. Examples include drying out hardwood floors, drying behind and under
cabinets, and removing moisture from inaccessible locations.
Even so, the IICRC felt a definite need for advanced drying techniques. In
addition, there was an obvious need to teach the science behind the Applied Structural Drying (ASD) methods so that
reliable results could be consistently reached.
The IICRC Water Damage Restoration course is valuable basic training to the
water damage technician. All technicians wanting to take the Applied Structural Drying (ASD) course
must first take and pass the Water Damage Restoration.
ASD takes the guess work out of water damage restoration. It is based on
science, and mathematical formulas are used to determine exactly the type and knd of equipment is needed for
outstanding results. Special techniques are learned that arm
the technican to deal with more difficult and out-of-the-ordinary situations.
One of the most important aspects of ASD is daily monitoring and documentaion.
This allows the technician to
-
know what is wet
-
How wet is it (relative humidity, moisture content, etc)
-
How well it is drying (measuring and adjusting for optimal effectiveness)
-
When it is dry (calibrated meters do not guess)
Meters measure humidity and moisture content to quantify wetness--no
more guessing!
Documentation, which includes moisture maps and moisture logs, allows the technician to adjust, add, or remove equipment during the days drying occurs.
This assures that the structure is drying correctly and that unnecessary equipment is removed (which saves the
insurance company money). Problems are addressed and corrected immediately.
On the last day, the technicaian takes the final moisture readings, which
may be used in a court of law to prove that the structure was adequately dry to prevent mold and other secondary
damage.
In addition to consistent drying results, ASD imploys techniques that require
little or no demolition. Traditional water restoration techniques often required pulling up (and often ruining)
carpet, pulling off baseboards and sheetrock, and often culd not save expensive items like cabinets and hardwood
flooring. Not only does this save money, but the homeowner does not have to be constantly openning his home to
contractors and subcontractors who come to repair the demolition.
ServiceMaster by Althouse Cleaning is proud to have six technicians that are
IICRC certified is Applied Structural Drying. Outside of ServiceMaster by Althouse Cleaning there are only one or
two technicians with this certification in all of El Paso.
a
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