Monitoring Water Damages
Constant inspection of the job site is required for effective and efficient restoration. In our industry today, it's common practice to monitor equipment daily as the job-site conditions are constantly changing. With some of the newer technology on the market like remote monitoring, daily monitoring is being eliminated in the field via monitoring of the project online and in the office. Constant evaluation and monitoring of the project is what restoration is all about.
Moisture Readings
During the monitoring phase of the project, the field technician is checking the affected areas with his moisture detection tools. These tools allow him to record psychometric data from the project and make any necessary equipment adjustments to assist the project to dry more quickly.
There are several key factors that must be followed to ensure that the project is drying as anticipated:
1) Readings must be done at the same location as previous readings and include the type of moisture detection equipment, date, time and technician’s name.
2) All moisture readings need to be marked to ensure that the moisture readings the following day are taken from the exact location. This is one of the most vital steps for maintaining consistent and accurate drying. It’s very common for one technician to handle the flood, another to complete the monitoring and another technician to conduct the final readings and remove the equipment on the last day.
3) During the first day on the project, the technician must establish a baseline for each of the building materials that are being tested.
4) Hygrometer readings must be taken and recorded daily in each room/section/area and outside of the structure to establish a baseline.
Moisture Mapping
Moisture mapping is one of the most important elements in monitoring the drying process in your restoration project. This is becoming more of an industry standard given the litigious world that we all live and work in. A moisture map is a diagram of the affected area that shows the water migration. In order to do this, a diagram of the affected areas is drawn on graph paper. Once the affected areas are drawn, the technician will use a special method to “highlight” the “wet areas” from the unaffected areas. This will give everyone involved on this project a snapshot of what was and wasn’t wet on that particular day. Beyond placing the water migration, the location and type of equipment used in the affected rooms must also be plotted on the diagram. This moisture map provides project specific information that will be used on a continual basis between the restoration technicians, project managers, insurance adjuster and the owner. Beyond these every day uses, it acts as a great archival tool and reference for litigation should it arise on that project.
Moisture Detection Tools
Moisture Sensor – The most basic of moisture detection instruments. It is designed to detect the presence of abnormally high levels of moisture in carpets and pads. They indicate abnormal moisture levels through an audible beep that increases in frequency if moisture levels are higher.
Invasive or Penetrating Moisture Meter – This machine operates on a principle that is very similar to the moisture sensor. The main difference is its ability to quantify the moisture readings. It quantifies the moisture either on a relative or absolute scale.
Non-Invasive or Non-Penetrating Moisture Meter – This device uses radio frequency signals and conductive pads to measure either impedance or capacitance through a sample of the suspect materials. These meters enable you to test a much larger area in a relatively short time period. However, they are less accurate and the material variations that you might be testing will affect the meter’s signals.
Thermo-Hygrometer – This instrument measures temperature (thermo) and relative humidity (hygro). Some of these more advanced units have the ability to calculate the GPP (grains per pound) and display these figures on the digital read out, while others can read the surface temperature. These units are used to monitor any air that can influence the drying environment. They are used to verify equipment operation and to evaluate the need for additional drying equipment, particularly equipment intended to reduce the humidity and/or control the temperature within a drying environment.
Infrared Camera – This device is capable of reading the surface temperature of most materials without direct contact. Readings are acquired by measuring infrared light, which will vary with the surface temperature of that material. The key thing in using infrared technology is to not forget the importance of moisture meters. If you have suspected areas that appear wet with a thermal imaging camera, you cannot act upon the readings until they have been verified by one of the moisture meters.
