BobVila.com home page

Drying Out Construction Materials To Prevent Mold Growth

Once all the windows are in place, drying out the interior of the addition can be addressed. This drying-out process has become a concern for builders all over the country to prevent mold growth problems from developing within the house while it is being built. Kurt Bolden of HydroLab explains the process of determining how much moisture is contained within the building materials. HydroLab trains mainly insurance and restoration companies in the area of water mitigation in construction. HydroLab seeks to train contractors on the effects of water damage to a structure. A lot of materials delivered to construction job sites are wet, which may cause problems. Much of this material may appear dry and is installed anyway. When this happens, contractors are not aware of the moisture content load within the structure. Moisture is the number one cause of defects within a building. HydroLab maps out how much moisture is in each piece of material. To determine moisture content, a pin or screw is put into the material. A meter is then used to read the moisture content detected by the pins or screws. Fungal growth occurs in this region at about 16 percent moisture-content load. The lumber in this project is running at about 18 percent moisture content , so if this lumber is put behind insulation and prevented from drying, it could lead to increased risk of mold growth in the walls. Charles Cressy of Water Out reviews the drying out process to prevent mold growth in new structures. To do this, an environment promoting the rapid evaporation of the bound water should be created. Dry and warm air is piped into the building and circulated throughout. The moisture trapped in the building material should become part of the air that is circulated and sucked out of the building. The Water Out trailer is typically used to dry out flooded buildings. The trailer is capable of drying out a building incredibly fast. More information