A commercial dehumidifier takes the moisture that wet materials release and removes it from the air, so drying can actually finish. Disaster Rental is setting up dehumidifier rentals for homeowners and restoration contractors.
Wet drywall, framing, carpet and subfloor release water as vapor. If that vapor has nowhere to go, the air fills up, the humidity climbs and the materials stop drying. Air movers push air across wet surfaces to speed evaporation, but a dehumidifier is the machine that removes the water from the air for good and sends it down a drain line or into a collection tank.
That is why drying works as a system. Moving air lifts moisture off surfaces, the dehumidifier takes it out of the room, and the cycle repeats until moisture readings in the materials come down. A house window fan cannot replace that step, and opening windows only helps when the air outside is drier than the air inside. The full process is laid out in our guide to drying out a flooded room.
Dehumidifiers used in water damage work fall into three families, and the right one depends on the space and the conditions. Disaster Rental plans to focus on the types that restoration crews rely on most, and the availability of each will be confirmed when you send a request.
Our guide to LGR, refrigerant and desiccant dehumidifiers goes deeper, but the short version is below.
Three things drive the choice: the temperature of the space, how much material is wet and how dense that material is. A heated, finished basement with wet carpet and drywall is a natural fit for an LGR. A cold, unheated structure or a job full of dense wet material such as hardwood may call for desiccant equipment, which usually needs someone experienced to set it up.
Tell us the approximate square footage, the type of materials that got wet and whether the space is heated, and we will suggest what to rent. We would rather talk through a job than rent you a unit that will stall.
Follow the manufacturer's instructions for power, drainage and placement. Water and electricity are a dangerous mix, so if the area was flooded, do not enter or plug anything in until the power situation has been checked by an electrician or your utility. Our basement flood guide covers the order of operations.
Keep doors and windows closed in the drying zone so the machine is working on the air in the room and not the air in the neighborhood. Empty collection tanks or run the drain line as directed, and check on the unit daily. If the water was sewage or floodwater, treat it as contaminated and read about water categories before deciding whether this is a do-it-yourself job.
The end of a drying job is not the day the room feels dry. It is when the building materials read dry on a moisture meter, compared with the same materials in an unaffected part of the building. Keep the equipment running until that point, then return it. If moisture or musty odors linger after several days, read our guide on mold after water damage and consider a professional assessment.
A dehumidifier can only work on the air it can reach. Close exterior doors and windows in the drying area, and if the water is confined to one part of a building, shut the doors to the rest of it so the machine is not trying to dry the whole house. Remove wet carpet padding and loose debris first, because every pound of wet material left in the room adds to the moisture the unit has to handle.
Place the unit where air can flow freely in and out of it and where its drain hose has a clear path downhill to a floor drain, sink or pump. Do not stack items against the intake or exhaust. Many people also forget the power side: a unit that trips a breaker overnight does nothing for the next eight hours, so ask about electrical requirements when you request a rental and avoid sharing a circuit with other heavy appliances.
A household unit is built for comfort, not for removing the moisture a wet structure releases. Water damage usually calls for commercial equipment sized to the space. If the loss is tiny, a household unit may help, but ask us if you are unsure.
It depends on the materials, the amount of water and the conditions, so no honest number applies to every job. Plan to keep it running until moisture readings in the materials return to normal for your building.
Equipment can be rented, but contaminated water changes the job. Porous materials often have to be removed, and professionals may be needed. Read the sewage cleanup guide first and ask us if you have questions.
Many commercial units pump out or drain continuously through a hose, and some use a tank. The specific unit's instructions govern, and we will tell you what to expect when we confirm your rental.
Tell us what is wet and what you need, and we will reply with availability and terms.