Desiccant dehumidifiers pump dry air into a water damaged area, such as a crawl space, to displace the moisture from structural materials. These dehumidifiers work by directing incoming moist air over a wheel filled with a silica gel desiccant. The desiccant material attracts and holds the moisture like a sponge. When the wheel circulates heated exhaust air through, the moisture evaporates and is carried outside. Then the cycle repeats. The desiccant dehumidification process is effective even in colder temperatures where refrigerant dehumidification begins to fail. A desiccant usually produces air with a relative humidity in the range of 4% – 8%.
SteamMaster Restoration & Cleaning in Vail Colorado uses several types of drying equipment including a 250K TES, 250K DryAir – Thaw, Heat and Dry System, Dehumidifiers, Drying Fans as well as Desiccant Dehumidifiers.
Desiccant dehumidification performs well even at low temperatures, which is when many water damage situations, such as frozen, burst pipes occur. The result is dramatically more effective moisture removal. Controlling the humidity level in the environment is the first and most critical step in the restoration process and is best accomplished by dehumidification.