1	Today’s Goal Help Create a Plan Reduce the cycle time of claims Reduce overall costs Reduce your liability Increase Customer Satisfaction
2	Water Losses Spiraling out of control? A trend or a blip?
3	Why have costs accelerated? Mold? Litigation? Fear of Litigation? Inferior work by contractors? Less qualified contractors? Higher costs for repairs? Poor planning and response?
4	Answer... All of the above reasons and more The good old days are over for good Business as usual has to change
5	What can be done to reduce costs? Get information Create a plan
6	IICRC S500 Standard It is not perfect, but a good start
7	Step #1 Let’s start with what we know
8	What are the causes of water losses? Floods and natural disasters Fires Poor maintenance Appliance failures, sump pumps Sprinkler systems Water Heaters and hydronic heating system failures Carelessness Vandalism and customer fraud The list goes on...
9	How do buildings get dry? Physical removal of water (pumps) Extraction Specialty tools. Truck mount and portable extraction equipment. Evaporation Create ambient condition favorable to rapid evaporation. The lower the RH the faster building contents and structure will give up their water to the dry air.
10	Definitions… Lets understand each other Clean water loss Result of the entry of potable water into a structure Gray water loss Clean water loss left for more than 72 hours Unsanitary water source, ground water, etc. Black water loss Sewerage spill or backup. Gray water loss left unattended.
11	Clean water loss The greatest savings can be achieved here, so long as action is quickly taken. Most contents can be saved, little to no damage will be sustained as a result of contact with clean water. Time is your greatest ally. Act quickly. Savings include: Carpet, pad, floors, walls, contents.
12
13	Gray Water Loss Tremendous savings here too - if you act quickly Wood floors can still be saved Many items can be dried, cleaned and/or disinfected
14	Black Water Loss Nearly everything that comes in contact with sewage is a total loss
15
16	What Next? Source of the water must be stopped Removal of standing water Physical extraction Drying/dehumidification must begin immediately to keep unaffected areas and contents from becoming part of the loss Humidity levels maintained at over 60% RH for a period of 48-72 hours will provide a favorable condition for mold growth Get the RH under control Get it documented
17	Data Logger
18	Physical factors to consider. Outside temperature and humidity. Electrical power available - how much? Heating and/or cooling system operational?
19
20	Restoration… Costs and benefits What can be saved? What is the value of saving it? What will it cost to save it? What is the benefit of saving it? No matter what you decide the building structure must be dried.
21	Step #2 Drying and dehumidification At the minimum, a strategy for drying the building structure must be determined. After deciding to remove, replace or restore, determine what is wet, and how wet. Specialty tools Specialty tools will help select a drying strategy. The scope of the loss (all wet areas) and other conditions that will help/hinder the drying process.
22
23	Moisture detection tools Thermo hygrometer. Determine Humidity and temperature within and outside the building. Moisture meter. Measures moisture content within structural materials. Non-penetrating or penetrating The information now gathered is going to help you select the drying/dehumidification tools to accomplish your goal.
24	Dehumidification and drying tools Air Movers - speed the drying process Refrigerant dehumidifiers, conventional Low grain refrigerants Desiccant dehumidifiers Water Out convectant drying Knowing the conditions, limitations, and benefits will help you select the proper drying/dehumidification tool.
25	Air Movers Always a benefit to drying Can consume much of the available electrical power
26
27	Refrigerant dehumidifiers Operation range 65F to 90F Temperatures above or below are out of the effective range Inexpensive, portable, easy to set up If used properly and in sufficient quantities can reduce RH to 60% Average amp draw per dehumidifier 7 amps
28
29	Low Grain Refrigerants (LGR’s) Effective in lower temperature conditions than conventional refrigerants Manufacturers claim 33F Humidity levels to 40%RH Average amp draw is 10 amps More expensive and more labor intensive than conventional dehumidifiers Can be an effective structural drying tool
30	Desiccant dehumidifiers Work on the principle of absorption. Wet air is attracted to moisture absorbent material. Operation range from 10F to 90F. Excellent structural drying tool, can lower RH to 20%. Labor intensive, exceed the electrical power of most buildings. Expect to use large generator along with desiccant. Mid-size desiccant will draw 480 volts, three phase power.
31
32	Convectant Drying The use of air flow, temperature and low vapor pressure to create a condition for rapid evaporation. Operational in all weather conditions. Will lower RH to single digits. Mobile equipment with minimal labor requirements. Single phase electric, 115 volts @ 9 amps. Most cost effective in mid-size to large losses or when your goal is saving contents.
33
34	Get Documentation No matter what plan or method is used, get documentation Customer authorization Photographs Written data from technicians and supervisors Data Loggers - will record temperature and humidity conditions within the building These steps will reduce your liability and establish your approved best practice
35	Summary You can not respond too quickly A bad plan beats no plan More information beats less information
36	Choosing a contractor Certified of course!