Dehumidifiers: An Important Damage Restoration Resource

One of the main problems associated with flooding and water damage is the increase of humidity or moisture in the affected area. High humidity in homes can cause rapid deterioration of structures and other materials. A humid environment is also prone to mold and mildew growths that can put the occupants of a certain home at risk. What is needed is a dehumidifier, an effective damage restoration resource that removes moisture from the air and prevents these problems from occurring.

Relative humidity or RH is preferred to be in the 30% to 50% range. Levels below or above this range are not good living conditions which can cause health problems for humans, as well as compromising the integrity of a home and other properties. A dehumidifier, as a damage restoration resource, can keep high humidity at bay and hasten the drying process critical to water damage restoration.

There are two basic types of dehumidifiers. The first one is the mechanical/refrigerative dehumidifier and the other one is the desiccant dehumidifier. The mechanical type is more common between the two and is used extensively for large-scale water damage restoration services.

The mechanical/refrigerative dehumidifier, as a damage restoration resource, removes moisture from the environment by drawing humid air from the room. The air is then blown by built-in fans across a refrigeration system that is composed of cold and warm coils. The humid air would then go through a process of condensation and water droplets are formed and collected into a receiving tank. The dry air is then blown back into the room. This cycle is done repeatedly by the dehumidifier until the room has achieved its target humidity. The mechanical/refrigerative dehumidifier is an excellent damage restoration resource when used with high temperature and high humidity conditions.

The desiccative or desiccant dehumidifier, as a damage restoration resource, removes humidity from the air by using desiccant materials. Desiccants are materials that attracts and absorb moisture. Just like the mechanical type, the desiccant dehumidifier also uses fans to draw humid air in. Instead of passing the air through condensation coils, humid air is passed through the desiccant material. A desiccant dehumidifier is a good damage restoration resource when ambient temperature of the environment is low.

Dehumidifiers have certain features that make it ideal as a damage restoration resource. It can have electronic controls and a humidistat that can be set to control relative humidity levels. This is an important feature, otherwise there would be a need for a separate hygrometer to measure and monitor humidity levels in the environment. Fan speed can also be controlled, depending on the ambient conditions of the water-damaged area. Some models have auto shut-off features wherein the unit will automatically shut down when the target humidity levels are achieved.

Dehumidifiers vary in the size of the tanks, which are used to collect water. For heavy restoration work, involving a larger water-damaged area, it would be better to connect a drain hose to the dehumidifier to remove the necessity of frequent emptying of the filled-up water tanks.

Water damage restoration is an important task particularly for flood-ravaged homes and buildings. Water removal and drying should be done as soon as possible to prevent health risks brought about my mold and mildew that thrive in damp conditions. Dehumidifiers are good resources for the homeowner in recovering water-damaged homes and properties and restore them back to habitable conditions.

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