Instructor Ed Jones has over 30 years of experience in theindustry, has the title of MasterWater Restorer, is an Institute ofInspection Cleaning andRestoration Certification (IICRC)-approved instructor, and hasserved on the S500-2021consensus body committee todevelop the most recent standard.
Mitigating a water loss involves many steps. Some of those steps may be overlooked if technicians are in a hurry.
Use the checklist below to help ensure no steps are missed when preparing your drying strategy or plan.
Water damage gets worse with time.
The longer materials sit in contact with water, the more opportunity microorganisms have to grow and the greater the chance that the category of water can deteriorate. This can cause additional damage and potential health issues.
Get out there quickly.
Minutes count.
A certified technician should conduct the initial inspection to identify the extent of the damages and ensure there are no safety hazards.
Safety is the most important responsibility of the professional restoration technician.
Be sure to identify who will be in the structure during mitigation and whether anyone has health concerns. Document all potential safety hazards and bring them to the attention of materially interested parties.
Safety. Safety. Safety.
Identify the source of the loss and make sure the water is turned off or the leak is repaired. This helps prevent the water damage from spreading and getting worse.
Clearly document where the loss originated using properly labeled photos.
Include details such as:
Show the source of loss on your moisture map sketch with an X.
It is important to identify how long the water has been in contact with materials because that can influence the determination of category of water.
Follow the path of the water and identify it on your moisture map sketch as a shaded area where materials got wet.
Take photos of moisture content readings to show what materials got wet and what did not. A penetrating moisture meter is best when possible.
Also take photos of your psychrometric readings using your thermo-hygrometer.
These readings should include:
A strong moisture map and reading documentation helps support the drying plan and makes the file easier to understand.
Once you have identified the source of the water, conditions of the structure, building history, temperature, how long materials have been wet, odors, and any special conditions, you are ready to determine the category of water.
This is a very important determination because it can affect:
Gather your evidence, including photos of:
Then make your professional recommendation.
Be prepared to articulate your reasoning based on industry standard definitions.
It is all about the evidence.
Identify what materials can be restored versus what materials need to be removed and replaced.
This should be based on:
Mark on your moisture map sketch where potential demolition needs to occur.
Remember, you are a restorer. Your mindset should be restoring materials and only removing and replacing them when absolutely necessary.
Evaluate contents and protect them from moisture absorption and humidity.
Determine whether contents can:
Be sure to take photos of any damaged contents that may need to be replaced.
Remediation should occur before restorative drying if the loss involves Category 2 or Category 3 water.
Remediation should also occur first if there is:
This helps ensure safety and proper handling before the restorative drying process begins.
Identify drying chambers and containment opportunities to separate affected areas from unaffected areas.
Take clear photos of containment.
Also consider placing affected areas under negative pressure to help avoid spreading contaminants.
Identify affected rooms, including dimensions.
Label rooms on the moisture map and identify walls or quadrants.
Examples include:
Show where moisture readings were taken on the moisture map.
List affected materials by room using square feet or linear feet.
Also note whether each material:
If a material needs to be removed, take photos showing why it cannot be dried.
Document issues such as:
Create a moisture content record that correlates with your moisture map.
Take photos of the initial readings and make sure they are clearly labeled.
The moisture content record should help support where readings were taken, what materials were wet, and how drying progress was tracked.
Create a psychrometric record and take five readings daily.
These readings should include:
Daily psychrometric readings help support the drying strategy and show whether conditions are moving in the right direction.
Tell your mitigation story with photos and readings.
Label your photos clearly and make sure they match your moisture map. The moisture map should show all moisture points where readings were taken.
Make the file easy to understand.
The better your photos, readings, labels, and moisture map are, the easier it is for materially interested parties to follow your drying story.
Share your drying strategy or plan with materially interested parties.
Explain the plan to your customer so you can obtain a signed Work Authorization and get started.
Clear communication at the beginning of the project helps set expectations and supports a smoother mitigation process.
A strong water mitigation checklist helps restorers stay organized, document properly, and avoid missed steps during a loss.
From rapid response and safety to moisture mapping, category determination, drying chambers, contents evaluation, and final documentation, each step helps tell a stronger mitigation story.
When restorers document clearly, communicate well, and focus on restoring materials whenever possible, they better protect the customer, the carrier, and their own company.
