How Do I Dry My Walls After Water Damage?
Not only can your floors become damaged after water damage in your home, but the walls are often affected as well. As a result, it’s important to know how to dry wet walls – or to contact a repair company right away. Quickly drying the affected area decreases the risk of structural damage and prevents mould growth.
How Does Water Saturate Drywall?
Before learning how to dry a wall after water damage, it’s important to understand how water saturates drywall. If water enters a space from the ground level, it can cover the floor and any floor coverings. Due to capillary action in porous materials, the water will then begin to ‘wick’ up the wall. The extent of this movement depends on the wall’s construction, the volume of water, and the height of the water on the wall material.
Drywall is made of porous gypsum sandwiched between cardboard-like paper. It can wick water up to 30 inches! Water will be present on both sides of the wall, but due to slower evaporation on the inner side, moisture is often higher there. While water damage is usually visible, moisture doesn’t always appear on the surface of the wall.
What If The Walls Aren’t Insulated?
In this scenario, the repair expert may dry out the damp walls without drilling holes or removing the baseboard. Every 10 to 14 feet, the technicians install high-capacity air movers along the wall. These air movers extract moisture from the wall’s surface and rapidly evaporate it. More moisture is drawn to the surface as it evaporates. The restoration expert will also install a low grain refrigerant dehumidifier in the damp wall.
Depending on the moisture levels, one or more will be needed. This advanced drying equipment reduces the humidity levels to help with drying and prevention of mould growth. When the conditions are right, the restoration expert will install an inner-wall drying system by drilling small holes above the sill plate and forcing air into the wall cavity. According to studies, this is the easiest and quickest way to dry water-damaged walls.
The drying strategy often changes depending on whether the wall has a moisture barrier on the inside or outside. Moisture barriers are coatings or materials that prevent moisture from escaping through the wall. Latex paints are typically permeable and do not create a barrier. However, glossy paints can act as a barrier, while enamel paint or vinyl wall coverings form a complete barrier.
To allow moisture to escape and the walls to dry, technicians may need to perforate or remove the barrier. If the interior of the wall is covered with plastic or foil, they may need to cut it, as drying won’t occur properly under these conditions, leading to mould growth.