Commercial Water Damage Durham - Air Exchange Systems Affect Drying Time

11/30/2019 (Permalink)

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New standards for both commercial and residential buildings are designed to make buildings more efficient for heating in the winter as well as cooling during the hot summer months. These buildings are considered tight buildings. However, many older buildings are much more porous. These buildings draw outside air into the building and cause heated air to escape through crevices and cracks in the shell of the building.

SERVPRO trained technicians provide commercial water damage services in the Durham area. Our teams are IICRC certified covering many different subjects, including the effect that tight vs. loose buildings have on drying times and water removal. We also are trained storm damage, fire damage, mold damage, and cleaning experts.

Tight vs. Loose Buildings

Modern buildings are designed to be tight buildings allowing very little air through or around windows and doors. There is little fresh air that is naturally drawn into these buildings through crevices and openings in the shell of the buildings. As a result, air exchange systems were added to force the exchange of air over a specified time frame, e.g., every thirty minutes. Loose older buildings generally do not have air exchange systems.

SERVPRO professionals must consider the type of building, and the impact of air exchange systems when attempting to dry a building after a commercial water damage event. For example, if the air exchange system is drawing warm moist air into the building, while drying a specific area in the building, the drying activity is much less efficient. Drying takes more time and can affect the amount of time the building is unavailable for commercial business activities.

At SERVPRO, we take factors such as these into account. We may request that the air exchange system is shut down while drying the commercial space. If possible, the space may be isolated and dried using air movers and dehumidifiers. We may also use negative or positive pressure solutions to dry spaces in tight buildings.

We aim to return your commercial space to its original condition as quickly as possible so normal commercial operations can resume.

Call SERVPRO of North Durham at (919) 467-0880 for 24/7 service. We proudly serve Gorman, Rougemont, Orange Factory, and the surrounding areas. We're Faster To Any Size Disaster.

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