Remediating flood damage is one of the most common property restoration tasks for a Vancouver home restoration specialist, and the better ones in town understand that certain remediation procedures involve added secondary risks to the structure. The heat generated by drying units can affect the integrity of building materials, and a pro will be expected to know how and to what extent heat levels may pose a problem.
Water damage remediation jobs are all about HAT – Humidity, Airflow and Temperature. All three factors need to be working together to achieve the best drying results. Modern high-flow drying units are very effective, but only when applied and operated by someone with the required level of know how.
Heat concentration and dissipation rates are an important part of the equation and controlling them can sometimes become a concern. HVAC systems are very effective if excess heat is an issue, and they are typically used with portable air conditioners. It’s easy to neglect factoring in the heat that is generated by your drying equipment.
Here is a simple and effective formula to find out the amount of heat your equipment is adding to the structure:
- Amps x Volts x 3.4 = BTUs/hr.
For example, let’s use these equipment specs:
- 12 Air movers (@4A each) = 48 amps
- 2 Dehumidifiers (@10A each) = 20 amps
- 1 Air scrubber = 3 amps
- Total amps = 71
- 71 amps x 115 volts x 3.4 = 27,761 BTU’s/hr.
12,000 BTU’s of heat per hour will be offset by a 1-ton air conditioner. But we can see that even a 2-ton unit wouldn’t be enough to effectively counter the heat radiating off your units, along with other possible heat sources like the outside temperature and body heat from techs and residents. Utilizing a portable air conditioner to serve as a cooler and dehumidifier would be helpful here.
It’s true that the heat coming off your equipment can also benefit you in the wintertime as regards inside climate control, but may at the same time negatively affect the buffer between interior warmth and exterior cold as it relates to maintaining correct temperatures and / or humidity. Knowing the number of BTU’s your units produce helps you control the climate for the best property restoration outcome.
All our certified technicians at Urban Environmental are very familiar with these secondary considerations when it comes to treating flood and water damage in Vancouver homes, and it’s that level of expertise that has allowed us to build the reputation we have for excellent work. It’s true that some people are knowledgeable and skilled enough to take on area drying jobs on their own, and in those cases we hope that this simple equations comes to be useful.
