Airflow... It is the key to removing water from a
structure. It is critical for extraction when physically
removing water (with a truck mount at the beginning of a job), as you have been shown,
and it is VITAL for removing the remaining moisture (evaporation) when drying the
structure for the remainder of the job.
The Bottom Line Is:
The more airflow you have on a job, the faster the structure will dry!
To calculate the number of fans necessary, there are 3 pieces of
information you must attain:
1) Linear Feet Of Wallspace
2) The Class Of Water Damage
3) What Is Covering The Walls
Fans are to be placed every 12-16
linear feet of wallspace on a job depending on the Class of water damage and wall
covering materials.
They will be closer together when there is
more water remaining in the structure (Class 3) or when there is difficult to dry wall
coverings.
They will be farther apart when there is less water
remaining in the structure (Class 1) and easy to dry wall coverings.
PLACEMENT OF FANS
How the fans are placed on a
job is also critical.
Fans are to be placed on a job:
Every 12-16 linear feet of wall space At a 45 degree angle DIRECTLY touching the wall.
Fans should be pointing in the same direction when possible. It is best to begin at a
door-jamb, then move out from there.
The fans are placed on the
walls to dry the hard to dry materials first (The seal plates, drywall, etc.) These fans
dry from the walls to the middle of the room.
A fan is also
recommended to be placed in the middle of a room to dry from the center of a room's
sub-floor back to the walls. The carpet and pad, when left in the structure, are the
easiest components to dry. They will dry as a by-product of drying the hard to dry
materials. The way fans should be placed concentrates the bulk of the airflow on the
materials which release water the slowest, and are usually the last things to dry in our
structures.
