dehumidifier numbers question

[davegillfishing]

ok so i am starting to do some reading on all this stuff..in my other post the question was asked about the humidity level..
on a flood like that what number would you expect to see at the begining of the flood and at the end of the flood..
also i would assume the homeowner turning on the ac super low would affect the reading??
i always tell the customer to turn down the ac to get some of the humidity out of the air and speed dry time..
if a customer were to crank down the air really low at the beginning of the flood wouldnt that give you a lower than real reading?
thanks for taking the time to help me understand things a little better as i explore
dave

 

[Hoody]

Dave,

It would depend on your area. What you need to do is get a reading(with your meters) from a part of the house that is not effected, of like wet materials. If you have drywall wet, then go to a part of the house that is not effected and get a reading of the drywall. That is known as your dry standard. Most importantly your meters will tell you when its dry. You can experience a relative humidity (Rh) anywhere from 40% to 100%. While you're drying you objective is to obviously get the number to decrease.

I would recommend you tell the home owner not to do anything with the AC as cooling the area could slow down your drying. Seeings as you're in florida your dry standards and normal Rh for their home will be different than mine here in ohio.

I would take atleast a WRT class to learn the basics. That class will help you to determine when its dry because there really is no specific answer anyone can give you. Like I said its dry when its dry, and only your meters, and your documentation, and figures can tell you that.

 

[Desk Jockey]

If the condo or home is occupied they are probably best leaving the temperature in moderate temperature range.

While your suggestion seems reasonable for the lowering of humidity, your drying equipment will actually function better in the warmer temperature ranges.

If elevated humidity is a valid concern, you might try air exchange with outdoor air if the outdoor air is dryer (has lower grains) than the indoor air. This actually can work pretty well for an initial reduction in RH.

I think most people under dehumidify, maybe because they don't own as many units.???

How many?

It's going to be determined by what is affected.

 

[Hoody]

Richard, like usual brings a good point. Lets say its only 25% humidity outside, and 70% inside. One of the best things to do initially at that point is open the windows. The humidity would drop quickly. If the humidity can stay that level outside, you can then use an open drying system, by bringing the dry air inside and exhausting the wet air out.

 

[davegillfishing]

Thanks for the info. I will post any other questions I have!

 

[kmdineen]

Prior to setting up drying equipment the relative humidity (RH) is usually around 50 to 70% but it can vary quite a bit because most of the water is still in the affected material, not in the air.
I try to get the RH down to 40% or less with in the first 24 hours. I take readings of the air going in to the dehu and coming out of the dehu, the difference between those numbers is grain depression. You should see greater grain depression at the beginning of a job and less as the job progresses. To pull water in to our drying chamber I try to get the lowest pressure in the drying chamber compared to the unaffected areas of the home and outside, so take those readings also.
An AC unit is a standard refrigerant dehumidifier and should be used. When using LGR dehumidifiers the homes AC or any standard refrigerant dehumidifier will stop pulling water after a day or two when the LGR pulls the grains and dew point too low for the standard refrigerant or AC to reach.
Temperature and humidity reading tell you if the job is set up to dry and no secondary damage is occurring. The moisture meters tell us what is dry and what is wet.

 

[davegillfishing]

hhmmm good stuff..thanks

i am taking it that the meter are pretty pricey? are there and entry level models that would work for a full time carpet cleaner that does some
floods for his customers but has no desire to go at it full time yet..or is it a shit or dont shit kind of thing?

 

[kmdineen]

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[davegillfishing]

hey kevin thanks for taking the time....

i have a hydro shark to look for water and moisture already so i just need a few more tools, a class and i will be on my way to
making some money..
i will need to figure out how to do some pricing but i am sure that some of that will be covered in the class...hopefully.
thanks guys..i will be lurking for a while and then will hopefully be able to become more interactive and then pass it on to someone else that
needs help.
dave