Free water, bound water and water vapor are the topic of today’s blog. When it comes to water damage there are three ways that water exists in wood. How the water is contained will determine how it is removed.
Let’s start with free water. Free water is in a liquid phase that exists within the cells of the wood material. This water has not changed the dimension of the cells or absorbed into the cell walls of the wood so it can be removed quickly. This makes it pretty easy to remove from the material. To remove it we convert the liquid water to water vapor and take it out of the wood.
Second we have bound water. This water is liquid and is contained within the walls of the cells. It is definitely harder to remove bound water. It has to be removed slowly and won’t leave the cells until the free water is already removed. Once the free water is removed then the bound water can be removed through evaporation.
Lastly, we have water vapor. There is always water vapor in your home, but it exists in normal amounts for the environment. Water vapor in wood exists throughout the material. The vapor can build up during drying making it hard to get the water to evaporate out of the wood. So to get this water to evaporate we have to keep air moving. This will remove the water vapor from the surface allowing more to come to the surface and leave. To do this most effectively your water removal professional will need to figure out the evaporation potential. Evaporation potential will be the topic of next weeks blog.
No matter what the water problem in your house is make sure to have a professional check it out. They will be able to remove the water the fastest and keep your home safe. Quick removal is the key to keeping your home from getting secondary damages.
