“Drying schools hold secrets. I am going to pull the curtain back and explain the three main secrets that make the drying school experience what it is. And, dive into what you need to know before you take classroom training and unleash your knowledge to the world,” Lorne McIntyre writes.

Drying a structure is not a one-step process. In fact it is a multiple-step process that requires an understanding of how to manage the environment within the building, the moisture in the structural materials and contents. The intent of the article is to provide an understanding of what structural drying is, and provide an educated and informed conclusion related to the restorability of environment, materials and contents.

What is structural drying? Simply put, it is the removal of excessive, trapped moisture from building materials (both structural and non-structural) in an efficient amount of time. “Drying down” a structure can be an art, and there is a balance to find in every building and structure.

When we are called out to a water loss, we don’t know what we will encounter.

Last year, Paul Davis of Greater St. Paul and Minneapolis worked on a major fire damage restoration project for a senior living (age 55+) condominium association community. In addition to the regular challenges of a large loss fire job – from mitigation through reconstruction - the project presented additional difficulties posed by COVID-19, as the residents were considered high risk.

We are now digging into equipment sizing and understanding the ANSI/IICRC S500, Edition 4, 2015 (S500) to improve drying performance and are starting with air mover calculations and getting the job properly sized.

There are multiple ways to dry affected walls, each with different benefits depending on the severity of the loss. It is often recommended to start with the drying process that requires the least amount of demolition. 

Over the years, many people have asked me what heat drying is. The simple answer is heat drying is doing what you are already doing only using higher temperature air versus the temperature of air you are now.