DrySmart can reduce the drying time in half over dehumidification methods. Its advantages are evident from the start. Fresh, hot air quickly drops the humidity level below 40%. The heat energy accelerates evaporation and continues to lower the relative humidity.
Drying begins with the mechanical extraction of water and removal of ruined wet contents and materials. Mechanical extraction is much more efficient than evaporation, so great care should be taken to remove as much moisture as possible by mechanical means.
Once the mechanical extraction is completed, the remaining moisture is removed by evaporation. The rate of evaporation is dependent upon temperature, humidity, and air movement. The importance of drying fans, blowers, and air injection systems cannot be understated. They move the hot dry air to the wet areas, break down surface moisture vapor pressure barriers, help transfer the heat energy, pull moisture from wet materials, and transport evaporated moisture. The more air movers the better.
For evaporation to occur, heat energy must be added to water molecules. This is why water evaporates faster at higher temperatures. For every 10° C temperature rise, the evaporation rate is doubled. Raising the temperature also reduces the relative humidity and raises the saturation point of air. For example, raising the temperature of 50% R. H. air from 70°F to 106°F lowers the R. H. to 16% and increases the evaporation rate by a factor of four!
Phase 1
Evaporative drying doesn’t begin in earnest until the relative humidity is below 40%. The fastest way to drop the relative humidity is to purge the building of the wet air and replace it with fresh hot dry air. Running the DrySmart supply and exhaust blowers at high volumes for an hour or two will quickly drop the relative humidity. Dehumidifiers can take 24 hours or more.Phase 2
In addition to contents and materials that came in direct contact with water are those that are merely damp from exposure to high humidity levels. In this drying phase surface moisture readily evaporates from the surfaces of both the damp and wet materials and contents. DrySmart's air volume should be at a moderate level to remove the rapidly evaporating moisture.Phase 3
With the “easy” surface moisture evaporated, deep drying begins. Meter readings show wetness levels of materials and contents are on the way down. The total surface area of wet materials is reduced to those areas that came in direct contact with water or became wet through wicking action. With moisture evaporating from an ever decreasing surface area, the total amount of water being evaporated is relatively low. A correspondingly lower volume of air is needed to transport evaporated moisture. Reducing the air flow will permit a greater concentration of heat energy which will further raise the structure temperature.
Concerns have been raised regarding damage from high temperatures. Structure temperatures will typically reach 95° to 115°F depending upon the structure's volume, outside ambient conditions, and equipment set points. Temperatures in this range will not damage most contents. Some items, such as candles, fish tanks, and plants may be affected by the heat. DrySmart has a remote thermostat that will prevent excessively high temperatures.
To assure no ill consequences from heat drying, DrySmart recommends removing the heat source or at least turning the temperature down to “normal levels” and redirecting air movers at the few remaining damp areas. When a job is about 80% dry or so (a subjective judgment), moisture meters will show wet readings but the actual volume of water remaining is minimal. Also at this point of the job is a lot or stored heat energy in the dry materials. Removing the heat is analogous to pulling shirts out of a clothes dryer before they are completely dry. Similarly, a cake should not be left in an oven for an extra hour or two. It is not uncommon in the restoration industry for restorers to leave all their equipment in place until everything is completely dry. With heat drying, this practice can sometimes be detrimental to the structure and is almost always detrimental to the client’s pocketbook.
