Water in Carpet and Pad – It’s What’s Left that
Matters!
"Extraction involves removing standing, pooled,
and migrating water as quickly as possible from hard
surfaces, carpet, and other textiles."
Water Intrusion-it's not how much you remove, but what
you leave behind. Beyond rapid response to a water intrusion
is the need for maximum extraction of water. Extraction
involves removing standing, pooled, and migrating water
as quickly as possible from hard surfaces, carpet, and
other textiles.
By rapidly removing water, it has less time to seek
dry surfaces and sub surfaces, and less time to absorb
into porous hygroscopic (water loving) materials. Water
that is standing or pooled, as well as absorbed water,
is evaporating into the airspace at different rates.
This evaporation increases relative humidity that directly
relates to a damaging rise in the specific humidity
and vapor pressure. This rise in vapor pressure creates
tremendous secondary damage when the water vapor in
the air absorbs into hygroscopic materials causing swelling
(i.e. cabinets) or condensation on surfaces that supports
mold growth.
Secondary damages are damages that occur after the
initial water intrusion and immediate damage by the
water.
The value of the initial and continual extraction of
water from hard surfaces and carpet until only a damp
phase is encountered is crucial to reducing secondary
damages.
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