Our Industry Needs Documentation
Are you certain that every water damage restoration job you've handled was left completely dry? Of those you're not absolutely certain of, how many have the potential to return as a mold remediation job? Even if you are positive, what happens if mold occurs in a building for reasons unrelated to the water damage you handled? Do you have the documentation to clearly show that your firm is not at fault?

Change in our industry has become a runaway train. Driven by a need for more information and fueled by the importance of indoor air quality, new research facilities are producing ideas never before available. The equipment we use is constantly evolving as we learn more about the science of restoring a water-damaged building. Because it is running on the hardened tracks of past mistakes in our field, this locomotive will either carry you to the next stop or leave you behind at the station.

Knowledge has never been so vital to restorative drying. Our drying decisions must be made on a case-by-case basis, founded on a proper diagnosis for each structure, water loss and claim. The good news is that we now have the ability to make those decisions. The information is here! However, in order to understand the decisions we need to make we must clearly define what we are trying to accomplish.

The Goals of Restorative Drying
As restorative drying contractors, our goal is to return the structure to equilibrium with the environment as quickly as possible without causing any additional damage. Throughout this process we must continually evaluate the cost of restoration versus the cost of replacement on each component within the building—from carpet and pad to drywall, baseboards, furnishings and other contents.

The keyword is "restorative." Restoration of carpet, pad, drywall and baseboard is one of the fastest changing areas in our industry. The evolution of less disruptive drying methods have enabled us to do more restoring and less reconstruction and replacement. The more we learn about the various materials in the homes we dry, the more we are able to prevent secondary damage from water contact. Instead of automatically replacing materials, we can cost-effectively dry them.

Several benefits result from using less disruptive drying methods. Insurance adjusters spend less time and money replacing components and contents so their claims can close much faster than previously possible. Homeowners return to their normal lives faster with fewer disruptions added to an already traumatic experience. Restoration companies generate more rental revenue from their drying equipment and increase overall profit margins.

With the heightened awareness of mold growth associated with water damage, however, the not so new but "developing" innovation of less disruptive drying can be hard to sell. And if not executed properly, it will likely cause problems. A thorough understanding of the science and principles of restorative drying is absolutely critical, as is complete and proper documentation.

Four Knows of Drying
What you know limits what you can do. The decisions you make about the equipment you place, the materials you remove and those you dry starts with knowing what is wet, how wet, and how well it will dry.

As with a medical exam, proper restoration begins and ends with knowing what is happening on the jobsite. A doctor first looks at all the signals and symptoms before he or she gives a diagnosis. Once diagnosed, careful attention is given to the prescription or treatment to ensure that the patient responds well. Doctors always look for the treatment option that is least disruptive to each patient with the least possibility of "secondary damage." Once treatment is prescribed, it is clearly documented. The treatment is administered, and then a follow up is scheduled. The physician ensures that the treatment has been effective, and again it is documented.

Medicine is a very mature industry with an abundance of research, trial and error, development and history to back it up. By comparison, water damage restoration is a young industry. But it is beginning to mature, and we need to be able to provide a clear, understandable and necessary service. Our decisions must show sound reasoning and the results must be clearly documented.

Your documentation and decision process boils down to four simple "knows" of drying:

1. What is Wet?"
As simple as it sounds, this is where many of us get off track. Is the sill wet? Is the insulation wet? Is there moisture in the subfloor beneath the cabinets? Is the exterior sheathing wet? Is it wet beneath the bathtub?

Proper training and professional meters are necessary to locate every area of the structure that the water has migrated to. If one area remains undiscovered, you leave the potential for microbial activity and other secondary damage.

2. "How wet is it?"
Even the best restoration contractors have left this important "know" off of their list. It is never enough to know just what parts of the structure are wet. Without quantification, you cannot make proper decisions or check your progress. Moisture in the structure should be documented in a way that shows "how wet," rather than simply "wet" or "dry." As with the physician’s diagnosis, just plain "sick" is never good enough.

3. "Is it Drying?"
This is where most of the decisions start rolling in. Progress is the key. As long as you can document and follow up on your progress, you know that you prescribed the correct treatment. If you don't see any progress, you have two choices. Either apply a more aggressive drying method (providing that material value supports it) or get more disruptive to the structure itself by making holes, removing materials, perforating, etc. (providing that repair costs are less than aggressive drying techniques).

4. "Is it dry?"
Again, this step sounds deceptively simple. But if it's not thoroughly dry and properly documented, you leave yourself open to expensive lawsuits in the future. Million dollar lawsuits have been successfully brought against restoration contractors who skipped this last step. The moisture levels upon completion of every water damage job should be documented as "within 4 percentage points of dry standard" according to the latest IICRC S500 Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Water Damage Restoration. Every area you marked as "wet" in step one should clearly indicate acceptable moisture levels when you finish.

Most service providers in other industries provide clear documentation that shows the result of the work. The same is now being expected of us. The demand for proof will only get stronger with each incomplete water damage job and related lawsuit.

Progressive change is an opportunity to set your organization apart from the competition. You have the opportunity to take your business to the next level and stay in control of the locomotive, not left in the tracks behind it. Use the "Four Knows of Drying" to clearly document each restoration claim you handle. You will not only be able to make more effective, confident decisions, but will also have the security of defense just in case mold is ever found in a home that your firm handled. If you can show that you left it dry, you can avoid a costly finding against you. Without clear documentation you have no defense.

Brandon Burton is Lead Instructor at the Center for Advanced Restorative Drying in Burlington, WA.

ARTICLES MENU