Cutting Edge Equipment, Ready at a Moment's Notice

Althouse Cleaning has hundreds of pieces of drying equipment to efficiently dry out any water problem that you may have. In addition to these items pictured, Althouse Cleaning truck is packed with equipment so we are ready to respond 24 hours a day,    7 days a week.  

Every Althouse Cleaning truck carries a powerful truck-mounted cleaning   machine that produces 200°F water at high pressures for maximum cleaning ability, and a built-in high powered vacuum to extract water quickly and efficiently.

Water Extraction Equipment

Properly extracting standing water from carpet or other flooring drastically reduces the time it takes to dry a structure. Up to 90% of the water can be removed within a few hours. In the past technicians used vacuum wands connected to a portable or truck-mounted system. Afterward the carpet was removed from the house to dry.

The problem with this method was that carpet is 50% more vulnerable to damage when removed. Even worse, some technicians set blowers to force air under the carpet. This not only puts additional stress on the weaked material, but often creates flapping edges that slap the carpet against the hard floor.

 Top Down Drying (In Place Drying)

Of course a carpet can hold a lot of water. However the carpet pad beneath it holds even more because it is very similar to a sponge. In place drying is the process of putting a lot of weight on the carpet and pad combined with strong vacuum action. One of the first tools of this sort was the Water Claw®.The Water Claw® consisted of a vacuum head about the shape and size of a laptop computer. The technician would stand on it, balancing himself with a the waist-high handle built onto the unit. His body weight would squeeze water from the carpet and pad, and the water would be sucked up into the portable or truck mounted vacuum tank. The problem with this method was that it was slow because the technican was constantly standing on the Water Claw®, moving it about a foot, standing on it again, moving it another foot...

The Dri-eaz Rover offers several advantages to the Water Claw. It is self propelled, so no time is wasted getting off, moving and getting back on the unit. It also weighs nearly 100 pounds and therefore helps squeeze out even more water than the weight of the technician alone. It can turn 360° and move easily within inches of walls. Click here to see the Rover® in action on our television ad video clip...

Air Movers (Blowers)

The purpose of an air mover is to lift moisture off of surfaces and to suspend the moisture into the air. As the moisture is removed from the surface, it is replaced by new moisture from  below the surface. In this way materials dry all the way to ther core.

The moisture in the air is then removed by dehumidifiers (see below).  

Dri-eaz "Jet"® air mover is a great multipurpose drying unit. It is designed for optimal air distribution and uses a minimum of electricity. Eight jets can be linked together and still use only one 15 amp circuit when using the "Low" setting.

Dri-eaz SaharaPro3® turbo air mover. These are best used for drying carpet and creating a vortex air current inside a room to maximize evaporation. It can move up to 2700 cubic feet of air per minute. Air is drawn in from the side and blown out in a fan pattern across the floor. An extra pair of feet allow it to be tilted to blow slighty up as well.

The Dri-eaz "Ace"® axial air mover blows nearly 2,000 cubic feet per minute (cfm) while using only 1.5 amps of electricity. The unit can be used parallel with the floor, tipped slightly up or slightly down. It can also be dircted straight down onto the carpet or up to dry a ceiling. Two or three units can be stacked to dry out a damp wall. 

Several Dri-eaz Ace air movers can be stacked for storage and transportation. This is helpful when trying to put a maximum amount of water damage restoration equipment in the limited space of a box truck. 

Dehumidifiers

Moisture suspended by air movers will remain until it resettles or is taken out of the environment. Dehumidifiers draw in moist air and blow out dry air. The water vapor is cooled and collected in an internal resivoir. The water is then pumped out through a hose to a nearby drain or bucket. Dehumidifiers range from table top size to units nearly as large as a semi truck trailer.

Dri-eaz "Evolution"® Low Grain Refrigerant dehumidifier continues removing moisture from the air long after standard refrigerant dehumidifiers give up. It is also more energy efficient, drawing only 5 amps of power while removing over 70 pints of water each day. A similarly sized conventional dehumidifier would draw 6.4 amps and remove 64 pints.

This dessicant dehumidifier® continues drying until there is virtually no moisture present. Unlike refrigerant types of dehumidifiers, it can work in freezing temperatures. Instead of a water hose leading to a drain, dessicant dehumidifiers use a flexible 4" vent that blows very moist hot air directly outside.

Specialty Drying Equipment

Situations arise where regular air movers can not efficiently remove water locked in certain materials (i.e. wood floor planks) or in inaccessible areas (i.e. inside of walls, under cabinets, etc.). Specialty equipment and advanced techniques are needed to extract this moisture and avoid damage and mold growth. More... 

Moisture Probes and Moisture Meters

Water Damage technicians use moisture probes to determine the extent of area that water has spread. The probe allows the technician to see if the pad is wet even when it is covered by dry carpet.

It is very important that technicians monitor the drying progress over the days of drying, and to be able to prove when the structure is dry enough to eliminate the threat of mold or bacteria growth. Moisture meters measure relative humidity in the air as well as the amount of moisture in various materials such as wood, sheetrock, brick, etc. More...