Why are fans used to help dry a structure?

8/6/2020 (Permalink)

A series of fans, along with a dehumidifier, set up to dry structure fast.

Your home suffered water damages, whether it was from a leaky pipe, sump pump failure, seepage, bathtub overflow, roof damage, flooding, or whatever.  Once it’s safe to enter that area(s), the first thing you need to do is get rid of the excess water.  Once that’s been accomplished, then you remove wet contents and furniture.  And, depending on what type of water damage you had, some compromised structure may need to be removed (drywalls, ceiling, flooring).  Then, fans are set up to help dry the area.  Why are fans used?

Nature is constantly trying to balance itself.  Wind blows between storm systems.  Fog is released from cool, moist ground into the warm night air during spring and fall.  And nature tries to balance the difference from the drier air and the wet damaged areas inside your home.  Fans are thereby set up to help speed up the process.

As air is forced over and around a wet object, nature will pull some of that moisture to the edge of the material, where it then gets whisked away to join the air.  If there are only fans in the room, the room will quickly become very humid, and the remaining walls and ceiling will begin to condensate.  That’s why when SERVPRO Bedford Park/Burbank sets up a series of fans to help dry an area, there’s always a dehumidifier strategically placed to collect that moist air and dispose of it correctly, in a sink, bathtub, or even outside.  With that moisture removed from the room, it dries much quicker than if it was left to dry on its own.

If you have suffered water damage inside your home or business, and would like the experts to dry it out quickly and efficiently, call SERVPRO Bedford Park/Burbank at 708-430-3600.