Home Comfort

Tips for Drying Out Walls After Water Damage

Gideon Anderson

After an event that leads to water damage inside your house, not only would the floors be changed, but frequently the walls are as well. Therefore, it’s vital to understand how to wash wet walls– or call restoration companies instantly. Fast drying reduces the danger of structural damage and prevents mold from growing. 

Recognizing How Water Saturates Drywall

Before you understand how to wash a wall following water damage, here’s a look at how water saturates drywall. Water that enters a room from ground level will pay for the ground and floor covering. It is going to then start to “wick” up the wall because of capillary action in porous materials. The area of this movement depends on the wall’s construction, the sum of water, along the water’s height on the wall substance.

Drywall is an absorbent material that includes gypsum plus cardboard-like paper on either side. The water will be present on both sides of the wall socket. Many times, however, it is higher on the interior as a result of restricted evaporation on that aspect of the drywall. While water damage is sometimes visible, occasionally, the wall does not show signs of this moisture.

How to Dry a Wall After Water Damage

We recommend the latter if you don’t know how to dry walls or so the damage is extensive. From time to time, the water damage is clear, however most times, it’s concealed, and people not trained in water damage restoration may miss it.

If you want to DIY, here is how to wash walls outside:

If a burst pipe resulted in the water intrusion, switch off the water resource. Hire a plumber to fix the broken pipe before any drying can take place.

Accelerate drying by opening windows and doors. Use fans to move air across the damp walls. Dehumidifiers can help eliminate moisture from the air, which removes it from the walls, also.

To accelerate evaporation, eliminate molding and baseboards to prevent moisture from penetrating behind them. Store the molding in a dry, secure place to prevent damaging it. Also, remove objects hanging on the wall, like portraits and paintings.

Remove wallpaper if you have it. This requires patience, but it is important as the wallpaper forms a “seal” that holds moisture in the wall. Wallpaper removal options, which dissolve the glue, and are available in the hardware store. You will also want 3″-6″ broad knives to scrape on the background once published.

Be aware that entirely drying out walls requires some time, so don’t rush the refinishing until the walls are dry. A moisture meter can help you be sure. Once completely dry, you can reverse the procedure and refinish your space. Inspect the eliminated items for any moisture or mold growth before reinstalling.

Drying wet walls quickly and properly is crucial. If you can not dry your walls instantly, don’t allow the issue to get worse. Telephone a water damage remediation expert and manage their expertise, experience, and equipment.

How recovery professionals warm damp walls following water damage

First, technicians decide the extent of the water using a range of water damage restoration tools. 1 choice is a non-invasive moisture meter. This meter uses radio waves to check for water without putting holes in the walls.

It does so with no holes or other invasions of the wall material.

Once the professionals identify wet walls, they use specialized drying equipment to dry them.

If the walls are not insulated:

In this case, the restoration professional can dry the walls out without openings or removing the baseboard. The technicians set high-capacity air movers along the wall every 10 to 14 feet. These air movers eliminate moisture from the wall’s surface, evaporating it fast. Since the moisture evaporates, more moisture extends into the surface where it disappears.

The restoration specialist will also install a very low grain refrigerant dehumidifier in the moist wall. This advanced drying equipment reduces the humidity levels to help with drying and prevent mold growth.

When proper, the restoration specialist will set up an inner-wall drying procedure by placing small holes over the sill plate and then forcing air into the wall cavity. Studies have shown that this remedy is the very best and fastest way to dry walls with water damage.

Additionally, if there’s a moisture barrier on the outside or inside the wall, the drying strategy varies. Moisture barriers are coatings or materials that inhibit the movement of moisture in the wall material.

Many latex paints are permeable and don’t make a barrier. But, glossy paints can make a barrier, and tooth paint or vinyl wall coverings create a whole barrier. Technicians need to perforate or remove them allowing moisture to escape and also the walls to dry. When there’s foil or plastic on the inside of the wall, then painters need to remove the wall. That’s because drying will not happen properly and mold will develop in cases like this.

When the walls are coated:

When there is fiberglass insulating material with paper backing, then an inner-wall drying system may be used, as explained previously. But, if the insulation is foil-backed fiberglass, blown-in cellulose, or even a Styrofoam substance, then it can not be dried successfully.

In those cases, eliminating the damaged section of the wall together with the insulation is necessary to permit rapid drying and to prevent mold growth.

Tracking the drying system

Regardless of the procedures utilized by the restoration professional, homeowners should be aware that the equipment must operate, without quitting, throughout the drying procedure.

Finally, restoration professionals can monitor the drying procedure at least one time a day. This ensures that the equipment is functioning correctly during the drying process. Monitoring includes moisture measurements to determine if the substances will successfully dry. Material dryness is measured against similar rigid contents in that arrangement. When dryness levels are equivalent, the drying is completed, and the equipment removed.

To recap, this is the way to dry walls out:

  1. After addressing the water supply, eliminate paintings and other items on the wall.
  2. Follow up by removing moldings, baseboards, and background.
  3. Open windows and doors to help speed up the drying procedure.
  4. Use fans to move air around the moist walls. Additionally use dehumidifiers, which may help eliminate moisture in the atmosphere and walls.
  5. Experts utilize tools such as moisture meters, infrared imaging apparatus, dehumidifiers, and heavy-duty enthusiasts. That ensures that the walls are truly dry before further repair, painting, or refinishing.

A professional restoration company, such as PuroClean, knows and utilizes the principles and principles of how to wash damp walls. For flood cleanup or water damage repair, call your local PuroClean office. Our trained and certified technicians can wash walls and other items quickly and thoroughly, preventing additional damage and mold growth. If you’re looking for biohazard cleanup companies, check this out.