The complexities of structural drying: Partnering with the facilities team

The complexities of structural drying

Partnering with the facility team

Educational facilities are subject to any number of common perils; water, sewer, fire, smoke, mould, trauma, vehicle impact, vandalism, contamination, asbestos, and lead.

You know your facility best, and are the best judge of when you need to call in another professional for their expertise.

Your critical considerations include the apparent magnitude and complexities of the damage, and the potential strain on your resources. You must consider the availability of facility staff for ongoing needs and projects, and depending on the time in the school calendar, how to best control the disruption or displacement of staff and students. With all these critical considerations, you want to feel confident that you have a pre-qualified and trusted restoration contractor on speed dial.

Your restoration contractor should have certified project managers and technicians. Having a team of decision makers means quicker, more effective remediation and better end results. Knowing the restoration company adheres to the Best Practices for Water Remediation – ANSI/IICRC S500 and Environmental & Infection Control Procedures (CSA Z317.13-12) means reduced liability from subsequent issues.

Your chosen restoration contractor must demonstrate adequate capacity and availability. Timely emergency response by a qualified crew with the right equipment can stop a Fresh Water Category 1 flood from progressing to a Category 3 Black Water flood. During the prequalification phase, confirm what magnitude of damage remediation the contractor is able to effectively manage with in-house staff and equipment. In addition, confirm what additional resources are available should the need arise. Once on site, look for consistent implementation of safety controls and planning. Set up and demobilization of containment equipment should be a matter of routine efficiency, including setting up controlled access for equipment installation and removal of repair-related debris.

The game changer for the facility team is knowing who to call when you find yourselves in that ‘grey area’; when you need a true partner to bring time and expertise to the situation, and to stand beside you to provide reliable information that is genuinely in the best interest of your facility.

You call your prequalified restoration contractor to inspect, and depending on the findings, together you form a customized approach to stabilization, mitigation, and reconstruction.

Let’s look at a case study where 60,000 gallons of water escaped from a failed four-inch supply line. The facility staff knew that keeping the facility healthy required prompt extraction and stabilization of the affected areas. Facility staff did a phenomenal job of prompt extraction, yet they suspected water had migrated into the building materials; how much was yet to be determined. What they needed next was a professional assessment of how much moisture remained in the varied structural materials and how to best dry them. Canstar was called to provide that expertise.

Case Study: 60,000-gallon fresh-water flood

Day 1 – Inspection & detailed moisture mapping

95 per cent of facility affected Three-to-four inches of standing water, which facility staff extracted One-and-a-half to two-foot saturation up walls Double drywall in many areas Firewalls affected Insulation saturated Plywood wet Steel-studding holding water pockets Wooden built-in cabinets, cubbies, lockers affected

Day 1 - Goals established

Timeline: Have school dry and rebuild complete in five days (Wednesday through Sunday) Project manager on-site controlling job Students relocated during the job for safety Control access to affected areas Communicate continuously with facility staff Rough scope and budget as quickly as possible Set reserves with insurance adjuster Full-time first aid attendant required Hour-by-hour communication with facility staff Extraction completed; controlled material removal started 325 pieces of equipment placed: high-velocity air movers, dehumidifiers, pressurized drying systems, Injectidry drying system, floor drying panels; high-heat cavity drying of common halls Moisture readings: hygrometer for psychrometric readings; FLIR camera for infra-red thermal images; concrete metres; hammer probes Time frame Multiple layers of building materials Contents - wet books, teaching supplies Gym equipment – to be recalibrated Gym floor three-feet lower than rest of building, painted concrete floor Change rooms – storage; built-ins; tile walls 45 area rugs to be cleaned and dried on-site Minimize removal of built-in cabinets, cubbies Initial demolition team established for controlled material removal School board trustees walk-thru (question timeline) Hour-by-hour communication with facility staff

Viking-pressurized drying system and adjacent infra-red reading

Access from back of built-in cabinets and lockers Psychrometric readings and infra-red inspection Tile change room walls - inspection holes versus removal; Injecti-dry below cove base; access from back

Day 3

Initial reconstruction team established – one team of four carpenters Demolition teams increased to two teams of six technicians for controlled material removal Hour-by-hour communication with facility staff Ongoing assessment of severity and category of water Estimate 75 per cent of building materials dry and reconstruction complete today Reconfirm timeline – will complete all structural drying, material removal and reconstruction by late Sunday

Days 4 and 5

Reconstruction teams increased to two teams of 10 carpenters and technicians Equipment ran for four days; in a few small areas, equipment ran five days Reconfirm timeline – will complete all structural drying, material removal, and reconstruction by late Sunday Monday - only cove-base reinstallation to be completed

Together, with the right combination of people, solutions and communication, the aggressive goal of having the facility operational by Monday morning was achieved.

Should you find yourself in that ‘grey area’ where time is of the essence, you can rely on the expertise of long-term EFMA-partnered

Day 2-Challenges identified

professional Canstar Restorations. n

Custom drying solutions.