What you Need to Know about Drying Commercial Water Losses:
Are you a successful water damage professional with years of experience drying homes, apartments, and perhaps even a few commercial projects?
Can you handle a large commercial flood?
Maybe it’s a school, office building, theater, or that old historic mansion in the center of town. High profile. Huge potential profits and it all goes well, the opportunity to get more lucrative commercial projects.
Are you really prepared?
Many restorers think drying a commercial building is like drying a big house. It just takes more and bigger equipment, right? Not really. If you try to dry a hotel, hospital, department store, industrial plant, or large historical mansion like a house, you will soon learn you are in way over your head.
Not sure if you can handle a large commercial job? Get IICRC CDS Certified!
Commercial buildings are different in serval key ways:
Uses– hospitals, convention centers, offices, retail, schools, libraries, government, sport facilities, manufacturing, industrial, distribution centers, gyms, and hotels.
Size– Everything from a 1,000 square foot beauty salon to a 40,000 square foot mansion or a 200,000 square foot distribution center to a 1 million square foot arena.
Mechanical Systems – Sprinkler systems, computer rooms and networks, multiple zones for air distribution, outside air makeup systems will require re-thinking dehumidification needs.
Electrical Systems – The presence of a 3 phase 208, 277, 480 and even higher voltages in industrial plants requiring higher levels of training and arc flash protection to qualify for working on these systems.
Control Systems – Alarm systems, lighting control systems, card-entry security, central video and audio communications. Low-voltage and special wiring systems are particularly sensitive to moisture.
Public Access and Security – On-site security must be handled properly. Consideration of security clearances, right-of-way, and access to elevators and loading docks.
Materially Interested Parties (MIP)– Multiple stakeholders on a project such as engineers, architects, consultants, other trades, building owners, building management, tenants, multiple insurance carriers lead to a more complicated level of project management or administration.
Construction – Materials and codes are complex and varied. Multiple finished and construction practices create difficulty in inspecting and assessing moisture content and drying progress. More low-permeance, hard-to-dry materials.
Hazards – Hazardous chemicals higher voltages, energized machinery, confined spaces, scaffolding, large equipment, forklifts, as well as, the typical slip/fall, lead, asbestos, and mold concerns.
So how can you prepare? Where can you get this knowledge?
You have two options:
Option #1 – The school of hard knocks.
If you attempt to dry commercial buildings without acquiring the right specialized knowledge, you will make mistakes. This could lead to your company not getting paid, being sued, and potentially a huge loss of money.
If a residential job goes bad, you could lose a few thousand bucks, but when a commercial project goes bad, the loss could be in the tens of thousands of dollars or more perhaps even enough to shut you down.
Option #2 – Learn From the Experts
Take the IICRC Commercial Drying Specialist Course
Since 1984, Mickey Lee has gone from contracting commercial construction, tenant finish-outs and high-end remodeling to various roles within the Munters Moisture Control Division, including project manager, district manager, regional manager, national technical/training manager, and global vice-president of technology/sustainability.
Mickey used case studies and photographs from real jobs collected over 35 years in the commercial drying industry to illustrate all of the concepts you will learn in this fascinating course. He has a very relaxed and personal style of teaching that makes students feel relaxed and at ease.
Bruce DeLoatch also teaches part of this course, drawing on over 30 years of experience in the electrical and construction industries as well as cleaning and restoration.
This course qualifies you to take the IICRC exam for certification as a Commercial Drying Specialist, one of the highest advances IICEC designations achievable.
*WRT certification is a prerequisite for taking the CDS exam.
Jeremy Reets started in water restoration in 1990. He is known as the innovator of the TES/ETES drying systems and a discipline of drying called Directed Heat Drying™. He developed the Evaporation Potential formula for use by restorers. He opened Reets Drying Academy and flood house in 2005 to provide water damage restoration education. In 2011, Jeremy developed Reets.TV, a series of online water restoration training packages.