Pro Course 2 of 5 · Core · 16 minutes
Drying and Moisture Mapping
Set a dry standard, map the wet edge, log the same points every day and prove the job is dry before anything gets closed up.
What You Will Be Able to Do
- Set a dry standard from unaffected material in the same building
- Map the edge of the wet area and number your reading points
- Keep a daily drying log that an adjuster or homeowner can follow
- Know when a job is dry enough to close up and when it is not
Lesson 1
Start the Clock and Set the Goal
EPA says water damaged areas and items should be dried within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold growth. That window is why the first visit matters more than any other.
The S500 lists what the first visit should cover, among them a safety survey, finding and confirming the source, finding how far the water moved, making the preliminary determination of category, noting damage that was there before, and setting dry standards and drying goals. You cannot call a job dry later if you never wrote down what dry means on day one.
Key Points
- Drying should happen within 24 to 48 hours
- Set dry standards and drying goals on the first visit
- Note damage that was there before the loss
Lesson 2
Take a Dry Standard
A dry standard is the reading you get from the same kind of material in a part of the building the water never reached. Take it with the same meter and the same setting you will use on the wet material. Drywall is compared with drywall, wood subfloor with wood subfloor.
Meters read differently by material and by scale, so a number from one meter means little next to another. Write down the meter, the setting and where the dry reading came from. That one line makes every later reading make sense.
Key Points
- Compare like material with like material
- Use the same meter and setting every time
- Record where the dry reading came from
Lesson 3
Map the Wet Edge
Moisture mapping means finding where wet stops. Start at the source and work outward with a meter until readings match the dry standard, then mark that edge. Check behind baseboards, under cabinets and up the wall, since water wicks up drywall and travels under flooring.
Draw a simple floor plan. Number each reading point and put the same numbers on the plan, so tomorrow you test the same spots. Photograph the meter on the material with the number in the frame. A map with numbered points is easy for an adjuster to follow and hard to argue with.
Key Points
- Work outward from the source until readings match dry
- Number every reading point on a floor plan
- Photograph each reading with its number
Lesson 4
Log Daily and Prove It Dry
Read the same points at about the same time each day, along with the air temperature and relative humidity inside the work area and outside it. If readings stall, change something, such as moving air movers, adding dehumidification or opening a wall cavity, and write down what you changed.
The job is dry when each point reaches the dry standard or the drying goal you set. Do not close a wall or lay new flooring over material that has not reached it. When the job ends, EPA guidance to keep indoor humidity below 60 percent, ideally between 30 and 50 percent, is a good note to leave the owner.
Key Points
- Same points, same time, every day
- If readings stall, change the setup and log the change
- Never close up material that has not reached its goal
Ready for the Exam
10 questions, 8 right to pass. Retake it as often as you like.
Sources
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