Do Materials Affect Water Restoration at Lake Stevens Business Premises?

12/31/2021 (Permalink)

Water damage significantly impacts books. Paper is hygroscopic and absorbs the humidity from the air as the water on the floors evaporates.

SERVPRO Prioritizes Material Identification While Planning the Restoration Process

Water damage at your Lake Stevens premises shows uncontrolled or unintended moisture exposure to materials. Restoration is taking control and resolving the different problems that develop. You need to identify and distinguish the issues, thus determining how to address them.

Many of the approaches used during water restoration processes in Lake Stevens properties involve some form of input into the affected area. We apply this information to choose products to help remove soils or decontaminate the areas. Alternatively, the input can call for a force provided by equipment such as water extractors. SERVPRO uses all these approaches and delves into other solutions that focus on the characteristics of the materials affected by the moisture exposure. 

For an experienced team used to handling moisture damage, the characteristics influencing restoration include:

• Permeance
• Porosity levels
• Hygroscopy 

The three factors are related and play a role in most of the damages you notice after water intrusion into your property. For instance, if water leaks and pools on the floors of your bookstore, you might see the books on the shelves exhibiting signs of wetness. If unaddressed, it might progress to a musty smell or mold growth. Paper is hygroscopic and therefore absorbs the humidity from the air as the water on the floors evaporates. 

A restoration approach that protects the books and other paper materials from the onset can deliver better outcomes. Our SERVPRO teams pack out items or try to limit the humidity levels in the air by setting up dehumidifiers around the property.

Porosity and permeance influence water damage. Permeance is the ability of water to move through a material. It is measured in terms of perms, a unit that measures the amount of vapor flow in grains per hour for a square foot of material at standard pressure. Porosity refers to the layout of a material in terms of voids within its structure. Higher porosity leads to higher vulnerability to water damage. A sponge is more porous than a concrete slab.

By studying the physical properties of materials at your premises, SERVPRO of North Everett / Lake Stevens / Monroe can manage water restoration better. Call us at (360) 243-8313. We’re Faster To Any Size Disaster.