Moisture Control / Dehumidification

Desiccant dehumidification is a process to remove moisture from the interior ambient air. One of the main requirements for mold growth is moisture. Rapid and thorough drying of the building materials is imperative to the prevention of mold growth. After extraction removes the bulk water, the remaining excess moisture will have to be removed through evaporation and dehumidification.

Many objects when exposed directly to water or high humidity will absorb the water. We think of them as wet. Technically, molecules of water have infiltrated the spaces between or attached to the molecules of the substance that have been soaked. The only practical way to dry wet materials, for example wallboard affected by flooding, is to allow the water molecules to escape from the wet wallboard into the surrounding air.

However, if the surrounding air is laden with high humidity, then it is unable to accept the water molecules from the objects to be dried. Air in this condition is said to have high vapor pressure. By dehumidifying the air, its vapor pressure can be reduced. The reduction of the vapor pressure in the surrounding air will allow the water molecules held in the example wallboard to begin to escape into the air. The drier the surrounding air, the faster it will accept water vapor from the surface of the wet wallboard.

After water damage or flood, BMS CAT^® pumps very dry air into water damaged environments, using high volume desiccant dehumidifiers. We strategically direct the air where it can make the most contact with the structure or objects to be dried. The air dried by us is much drier than the air outside or the air that would be found inside a water damaged building. A properly maintained desiccant dehumidifier will supply air in the 4-8% relative humidity range. By contrast, it is not uncommon for the relative humidity of the ambient air after a flood to be 85-90%. The air from our desiccant dehumidifiers has such a low vapor pressure that it rapidly "pulls" water molecules away from wet surfaces. As water molecules begin to leave the wallboard, others migrate to the surface. So, objects like wallboard dry thoroughly.