Flooding can have a catastrophic effect on the lives of people. It can damage the valuable assets within the affected property and the severity escalates rapidly in commercial and industrial spaces. Water in excess comes with a draining effect and the damages incurred can interrupt the business activities and in extreme conditions can even account for the shutdown of the business.  

A huge financial burden is levied on the company due to the colossal loss of assets coupled with expensive reconstruction and replacement costs required to reinstate the infrastructure of the property. The problem is further compounded with the unbudgeted compensation as a result of high insurance claims that can highly stake the profitability of the company.  

Given that the machinery, furnishings, and other miscellaneous articles in a commercial and industrial setting are very costly, replacing them turns out to be a very expensive affair. Therefore, timely restoration of water-damaged assets can reduce the financial burden and at the same time ensure the continuity of the business. Here, time is a very sensitive factor in combating the water menace. The first 24 to 48 hours are very critical and require a solid emergency disaster plan to tackle the flooding situation. For the effective execution of the plan, highly trained professionals are essential who come with the proper knowledge to deal with the problem. In addition to this, they are well equipped with sophisticated technology and equipment to control the crisis and restore the entire structure to its original state. 

The professionals employ Water Damage Restoration (WDR) which is an emergency service with the niche to dry and restore the damaged water assets. The process achieves a two-fold task where it not only preserves, safeguards, and secures the assets from further getting damaged but also safeguards the occupants from any health hazard. 

Drying is the fundamental procedure in WDR. It eliminates water through different phases entailing the removal of standing water which is followed by evaporation with the help of air movement, and dehumidification. Throughout the process, it is highly crucial to control the temperature for the thorough removal of water from the affected area. Where removal of standing water gets rid of the excess water in the space, evaporation helps in eradicating the saturated water from the drywall, wood framing, and subfloors by converting it into vapour. The next step of dehumidification is aimed at externally exhausting and removing the moisture from the air. The inability to dehumidify the space can result in secondary damage which can have a hazarding effect on the health. 

Looking at the gravity of the situation, desiccant-based dehumidification is the most sophisticated and effective technique for removing moisture from the affected material. Throughout the restoration process, monitoring the humidity level is very imperative to escalate the drying process. Maintaining the relative humidity within a very narrow range is important to curb the formation of wet and moist conditions which renders a disastrous combination. 

As the warm air comes with more moisture holding capacity as compared to cool air, an environment of high temperature with low relative humidity (RH) must be provided to ensure the speedy evaporation of water. Moreover, the situation can get out of control if the humidity level reaches 100% capacity, it can initiate the formation of condensation on the surfaces harbouring favourable conditions for the growth of fungus, mould, mildew, etc. along with corrosion and decay of the moisture-sensitive material. Therefore, a perfect combination of environments needs to be achieved where the temperature is maintained at 72°F with RH between 50-55%. The evaporation process can further be amplified by lowering the RH to less than 40%. To get productive results, it is important to note that the space temperature is not increased throughout the process.

Considering the complexity of the commercial and industrial space along with the vulnerability of the articles, dehumidification is the most advanced solution for curtailing the risk of condensation, and deterioration of furniture and building material which can cost the company a huge amount if resorting to replacement of the expensive assets. 

About the author:

Rajesh Marwaha is the National Sales Manager at Technical Drying Services. Technical Drying Services (Asia) Pvt Ltd, a Pahwa Group company, is a leader in providing air solutions on rent for short-term moisture removal, humidity control, drying and temperature control services.