The science behind restoration

By Art Johnson

Even to this day, I find my 17-year-old niece asking the proverbial question posed by, it seems, everyone who has ever gone to school: ”What am I going to use all this writing, reading and arithmetic for anyway; ‘they’ say, you will never use it in real life anyway.”

As we go through a normal day in the restoration industry, one would not believe how inaccurate that statement is.

It all starts with selecting the right people who demonstrate the social and technical skills needed to do restoration in the academic world. Evaluating social skills is a science unto itself and psychology – understanding how and what make people tick – provides the means to perfect this selection process. Employees who are willing to respond 24 hours per day, 365 days a year, and yet demonstrate both a “can do” attitude and a genuine commitment to doing it right for the safety of all those young ones, is hard to find but possible due to the application of this science.

The technical abilities needed for the restoration of schools and learning institutions is also a science: look at water losses, for example.

Water is an amazing liquid and to this day, we have difficulty understanding its true depth. Even though it is made up of a very basic set of elements (elements that we learned all about in school), how it has the ability to be in all three forms (ice, liquid, and vapour) commands respect from any student of physics. During a typical waterloss event from a broken water line or an activated sprinkler head, at least two of these forms may have to be addressed and at certain times of the year, we may be dealing with all three. The liquid form has to be controlled as expediently as possible, as it has the tendency to spread out and respond to the gravitational pull – thus the 24 hours a day and 365 days a year response is critical.

As many people as possible are needed, and as much extraction equipment as is available, all in an effort to limit the damage that this universal solvent can cause while it is out on the loose. Upon capturing the fluid, it then becomes necessary to address the other form water takes; vapour. Unless this aspect of the water damage is addressed, the risk of structural damage associated with warping, crowning, cupping or mould and rot can become a very real problem.

Most building materials are negatively impacted by an overabundance of moisture and thus require the science of evaporation, condensation, vapour pressure, energy, dew points, oxidization and all the other aspects that help us understand the value of effective drying utilizing dehumidifiers, airmovers, rescue mats and the many other tools associated with the trade.

Now let’s consider for a moment where biology 101 comes into play. One dictionary source describes it as the branch of science concerned with the structure, function, growth, evolution and distribution of living and non-living organisms. Consider all the possible contaminates and risks associated with black or grey water coming out of a toilet or from any other unsanitary source; water from any of these can or may cause significant negative health effects to some who are immune-deficient or prone to asthma attacks – let alone the impact it may have on those who are physically attempting to deal with the clean-up. Being confident that the affected area has been successfully remediated and is sanitized brings us right back around to chemistry that will help us understand the cleaners needed to either deactivate or consume the biohazards in the effluent. Being confident that the hazards have been removed requires a full understanding of what kills what, appropriate dilution ratios, and the dwell time needed for it to be effective; all this and at the same time being confident that the product used is safe for those frequenting these institutions as students.

What we learn in school also comes into play as we monitor our progress through the drying process. Once we are confident that ev-

The technical abilities needed for the restoration of schools and learning institutions is also a science:

erything is clean and sanitary, ensuring that the material in the structure is drying and is moving back toward the original dry standard for that specific building is imperative. As the building is drying, utilizing our understanding of psychrometrics or psychrometry, to determine the physical and thermodynamic properties of gas-vapour mixtures, comes into play. Specific and relative humidity, temperature, dew points, along with grains per pound of moisture help us along in determining our drying rates and the effectiveness of our drying equipment.

The third phase of water – ice – may need to be addressed as we go through our winter season but at the same time, when the school district faces a large water loss in a library, we may want to create our own. Every day that the books remain wet, they deteriorate or are at risk of getting mouldy. Flash-freezing them, and thus moving the water from a liquid state to the solid state of ice, can buy the needed time to determine what should be saved and what can be replaced. Upon determining this, the books that need to be saved can be freeze-dried; thus they transition right from the frozen state to the vapour state, and the moisture be then be removed utilizing a vacuum chamber.

Yes; if only these young ones knew what we now know, that most of what we learn in school plays a large part in accomplishing the activities that we’re involved in on a daily basis.

One other aspect that we have to deduce from all of the reading, writing and arithmetic is that effective water loss remediation has to be performed by qualified, educated individuals who truly appreciate the breadth and depth behind the science of restoration.

About the Author

Art Johnson, CR, WLS, is a member of the senior management team of Canstar Restorations and is operations manager for all Canstar locations in the Greater Vancouver and Whistler areas of Canada. Johnson is certified by the Restoration Industry Association (www.restorationindustry.org) as a Water Loss Specialist (WLS) and a Certified Restorer (CR) and sits on the RIA Board of Directors. Johnson also currently serves on the Executive Committee of the B.C. Association of Restoration Contractors, which is dedicated to improving workplace health and safety in the B.C. restoration industry. Johnson has attained Master’s certification with The CleanTrust in cleaning and restoration and has extensive training in all aspects of the restoration industry.

Art Johnson, CR, WLS – Canstar Restorations Head Office art@canstarrestorations.com 78 Fawcett Road, Coquitlam, BC V3K 6V5 Phone: 604.549.0099 Toll Free: 1.866.578.3138 www.canstarrestorations.com b