Drying a Water Damaged Sub Floor Crawlspace Case Study
We were called out to restore a completely flooded 4 bedroom house in Brisbane’s Northside. By using heat drying methods we were able to dry water-damaged subfloor and remove the moisture to prevent future mould problems.
#Project Highlights
$30,000
worth of wet material saved
4 Days
drying process undertaken
#Damage Caused
A burst pipe in laundry left running on high pressure for over 3 days. Estimated 1.5 tonnes of water sitting on the upper level of the property. The water damage affected all subfloors in the house. Such water damaged concerns:
Wet wall plaster
Wet subflooring
Wet ceiling spaces
Tiling
Wet wall void spaces
Affected carpet
#Damage Caused
How We Fixed it: Drying a Water Damaged Sub Floor
Water Extraction with a powerful truck-mounted extraction machine
Drying by tenting wet carpet
Installation of drymatic in the upstairs area to create an ideal environment for drying
Installation of Spitfire in subfloor space to bring temperatures up to 45-60 degrees for ideal drying temperatures for yellow tongue flooring.
Installation of Direct-it-in kits to dry walls in upstairs and downstairs areas
Use of Direct-it-in to dry kitchen cabinetry
Installation of Dri-Eaz LGR 7000 and R200 dehumidifiers to draw moisture from the air
Installation of 2 x Injectidry with plates units to draw moisture from chipboard through grout lines in tiles.
Installation of 3 x HEPA filter 500s to draw heated air through upper subfloor air space and expel to outside
Final Outcome
- Reduction to acceptable moisture levels in building components recorded in subfloor open void area
- Reduction of moisture levels to acceptable moisture levels in building components in upper enclosed truss area between floor levels
- Reduction to walls and wall base plates to acceptable levels reduction in moisture in chipboard sub-flooring between levels with significant results carpets recovered in 4 bedrooms
- Kitchen cabinetry saved
Future suggestions
Would have used desiccant dehumidification in place of LGRs as they work in a higher temperature range.
The client is very happy with the results due to the fast turnaround enabling tenants to be put in property faster, therefore, saving money. This was an insurance quoted job.
#Equipment Used
#Result
The approach was considered a success. Estimated over $100 000 saved by recovering chipboard flooring. Also, the client was able to put a tenant in the house within a week of us attending the job. Minor repairs to skirting, small vent holes in walls and kitchen kick panels and some repainting work.
