Air movement and dehumidification that dry the framing, subfloor, insulation and wall cavities of a Colorado Springs building after water has been removed.
Fastest: call (833) 490-5225. Or send this and we call you back.
Structural drying is the stage after the water is out, when the building itself still holds moisture in its framing, subfloor, insulation and plaster. Air movers and dehumidifiers pull that moisture out over days, and moisture meters show when the materials have reached a dry level. The job is measured by readings, not by how the surface looks, and the record of those readings is part of every restoration file.
Once the standing water is removed, the building starts to lose its moisture by evaporation, and the speed of that process depends on the materials and the air. A wood subfloor, a stud wall, a layer of insulation and a plaster ceiling each hold water differently. The surfaces dry first, and the structure underneath dries last. A room that looks dry on its surface can still be wet in its framing, and the closing of that room too early is one of the most common reasons a water loss comes back.
Structural drying uses air movers to push air across wet surfaces, and dehumidifiers to remove the moisture that the air picks up. The equipment is placed for the size of the room, the materials and the water's path. The readings are taken at set points each visit, and the equipment is moved or removed when the numbers show the materials are dry. The process can take several days, and it is the stage that most decides how much of the building can be kept.
Keep electrical cords off the wet floor and away from water, and do not place a dehumidifier in standing water. Keep the equipment's power lines dry and use outlets on a circuit that is not wet. Do not open a wall with a power tool until the outlet and wire behind it have been checked.
A moisture meter and a thermal camera show where the water went. The crew reads the floor, the walls, the ceiling and the framing, and marks the wet areas on a plan. That map decides where the equipment goes, so it is not placed by guesswork.
Air movers are placed to move air across the wet surfaces, and the dehumidifier is placed where it can draw the moist air from the room. The number of units depends on the size of the space and the materials, and the setup is recorded on the plan.
Where a wall, a ceiling or a floor reads wet at the center, a small opening is made so the cavity can be dried from the inside. The openings are closed again once the readings are dry.
Readings are taken on the same points each visit and written down with the date and the room. The numbers show the rate of drying, and they show when a material has stopped drying and may need removal.
Equipment is removed when every reading meets the dry standard for the material, and the final readings are kept in the record. The closing of the walls and floors follows only after that point.
A dry standard is the moisture reading a material must reach before it is considered dry. It is set for each material and compared with an unaffected area of the same building, so the drying is judged against a known baseline.
A wood framing member or a subfloor has its own normal moisture level, and it is measured against a dry area in the same house. A wall that reads close to that normal level is dry, while one that reads well above it is still wet even if it looks dry. The standard is the discipline that stops a room being closed too early.
The dry standard is written on the drying log, and each reading is compared with it. The homeowner is shown the log, so the decision to finish the room can be checked against the numbers.
Usually days, and sometimes longer for thick framing, a slab or a large loss. The time depends on the materials, the amount of water and the air in the building.
Drying is slow because wood and concrete release moisture gradually, and the equipment can only speed up the process within limits. A room that is dried too fast can crack wood or pull a finish out of shape, so the setup is adjusted to the material.
The crew explains the expected time after the first readings, and the timeline is updated as the numbers come in. A longer drying is not a failure; it is the material reaching its standard.
Sometimes, when the water stayed on the surface and the readings are dry below. Where the readings stay high at the bottom plate or in the cavity, the wall has to be opened so the framing can dry.
A small opening at the lowest point of a wall is often enough to let air into the cavity and to read the framing. The opening is small and is patched once the wall is dry. Opening the wall is not a sign that the damage is severe; it is the only way to dry the cavity.
A wall that is left closed while it is still wet will hold the moisture for months and may grow mold. The opening is therefore part of the drying, not an extra step.
Keep the doors to the drying rooms closed, keep the equipment running and do not block the air movers. Check the readings log at each visit, and report any new stain or smell.
Keep the home at a steady temperature during the drying, and keep the windows closed in the wet rooms unless the crew asks for them to be open. Moving the furniture out of the dry rooms helps the air move across the floor.
Watch the walls and the ceiling for new marks. A new stain after the equipment is removed means the moisture has reached a new area, and the crew should come back to read it.
A below-grade room dries slowly because the concrete and the cool air hold moisture. The equipment is set to move air across the slab edge and the bottom of the walls, and the drying often runs longer than in an upper room.
A water loss on an upper floor dries from the ceiling down, and the moisture in the attic insulation and the rafters can take longer to clear than the ceiling board. The attic is opened and read as part of the work.
A loss that reaches several rooms needs equipment across the whole floor. The rooms are dried in zones with their own readings, and the zones are checked together so the moisture does not move from a dry room into a wet one.
The dry standard depends on the building's own materials, and a house in Colorado Springs is compared against a dry area of the same house. The readings are taken on the same points each visit so the trend is clear.
Basements in Colorado Springs often dry more slowly than the rooms above them, because the concrete holds moisture and the air below grade is cooler. The drying of a lower level is planned with that in mind.
The city's older houses can have plaster on lath and plank subfloors, which dry more slowly than modern drywall and sheet subfloor. The readings are taken at the plaster and at the boards before the room is closed.
If it's an emergency, call now. For non-urgent structural drying and dehumidification, send the form and we'll call you back.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Pumping and vacuuming standing water out of basements, garages and lower floors across Colorado Springs and El Paso County, with the call answered at any hour.
Removing water from a flooded basement, lifting the finished surfaces it reached and drying the walls and framing in Colorado Springs and El Paso County.
Finding and removing mold that grows on wet building materials after a water loss in Colorado Springs and El Paso County, and drying the structure so it does not return.
Cutting out and drying water-stained ceiling board and wall board in Colorado Springs and El Paso County, so the repair can be closed over dry framing.
Hail rarely leaves water damage at the moment it falls.
Pipes freeze and split when water inside them stops moving in a cold space.
No price is published on this site, because a figure given before the damage is seen would be a guess.
Mold grows on wet organic material such as paper facing, wood, carpet pad and dust, and it can begin within a day or two when that material stays wet.
A water damage company should be able to explain its method, its credentials, its insurance and its written estimate before any work begins.
The first three days after a water loss set most of what follows.
The smell is usually from a material that has not reached its dry standard. The readings show where the moisture remains, and that material is removed or dried further.
Household fans can help move air, but they do not remove moisture from the materials the way a dehumidifier does, and they can spread the moisture to dry rooms. Use them with the crew's advice.
The readings decide it. The equipment comes off when every reading meets the dry standard for its material, and the homeowner is shown the final numbers.
The drying is usually part of the water claim, but the policy and the insurer decide the amount. Keep the logs and the invoices so the claim can be reviewed.