Equipment Calculations

In this article:

Build-Out Density
Building Construction
Will HVAC Support the Drying Process
Prevailing Weather Condition
Tightness of the Building Envelope
Equipment Calculation

Learn how to enter a few important pieces of information to finish up your equipment calculations and get an equipment recommendation. Watch the following video or refer to the instructions below.

The room sizing you did earlier will help calculate the amount of air movers needed. Now you need to answer a few questions about the property to get the detailed dehumidifier calculation.

Open the Equipment Calculation task, and in here you’ll select an answer for each dropdown.

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Build-Out Density

Build-Out Density	Impacts the ability to create lower vapor pressure air in all areas of the space, as well as the amount of affected wall material that may need to be addressed.
Very Open	As in a factory, warehouse, convention center, large ballroom, sports complex, box store, or theatre.
Fairly Open	As in a school with large classrooms or open office areas (e.g. open space with cubicles), department store.
Average	As in most homes, traditional office buildings, or hotels.
Dense	As in an executive office suite with many small (e.g. 10’ x 10’) offices and few open common areas, medical offices, or dormitory.

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Building Construction

Building Construction	Impacts the evaporation characteristics of the structure and contents.
Standard	Standard material and construction such as: primarily carpet/pad over concrete or plywood subfloor or commercial glue-down, single-layer drywall, little to no insulation in interior walls and construction is standard, either wood or metal framing, mostly painted walls and builder-grade wood or vinyl baseboards.
High End	High-end materials and complex construction, such as: extensive carpet over heavy pad, multiple layer or high density wall assemblies, insulation and/or sound-attenuation may be present in interior walls, construction includes some fire-rated walls, complex assemblies (e.g. multiple layer flooring, chase walls) and higher end finishes (e.g. vinyl wall-coverings, architectural-grade paneling, and wood trim details).

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Will HVAC Support the Drying Process

Will HVAC Support the Drying Process	The HVAC can impact the project if the system is present, operable, and can assist in controlling humidity and maintaining conditions in the environment.
Yes (Beneficial)	The system is present, operable, and will help maintain conditions favourable to the drying process.
No (Not Beneficial)	The system is not present, not operable, or will not assist in maintaining conditions favorable to the drying process.

If you took an HVAC reading in the chamber earlier, that reading should help you with this determination. In our example, the temperature coming out of the HVAC system was pretty hot, so chances are it will actually add too much heat to the chamber and potentially cause secondary damage

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Prevailing Weather Condition

Prevailing Weather Condition	Impact will vary from one climatic region to another and from one season to the next. Such variations may require that restorers use different equipment and techniques when drying similar wet structure during different times of the year, or in different regions.
Favorable	Anticipated to aid drying (e.g. less than 40 GPP or 43F dew point).
Neutral	Anticipated to have minimal impact on drying (e.g. between 40 and 60 GPP, or 43-50F dew point).
Unfavorable	Anticipated to hinder drying (e.g. above 60 GPP, or above 53F dew point).

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Tightness of the Building Envelope

Tightness of the Building Envelope	The building’s ability to keep the outside conditions from adversely influencing the drying environment.
Tight	Drying conditions can be controlled without significant influence by the outdoors.
Moderate	Drying conditions will be influenced somewhat by the outdoors.
Loose	Drying conditions will be significantly influenced by the outdoors.

*Some of the overall considerations for choosing tight, moderate, or loose would be: # occupants and trades people on site (opening doors, windows, work processes), damage to the building’s envelope (windows, roof, outer sheeting), general construction (barriers, insulation, age), and outdoor wind speed (high winds increase infiltration rates).

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