# US 2012/0227280 A1 · Drying of water damaged buildings

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- Number: US 2012/0227280 A1
- Document ID: US20120227280A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 13/413,342
- Filed: 2012-03-06
- Published: 2012-09-13
- Earliest claimed: 2011-03-08
- Assignees: DBK David + Baader GmbH
- Inventors: Ian David Hopkin; Jonathan Robert Jayne
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20120227280A1

## CPC

- F26B 3/04: the gas or vapour circulating over or surrounding the materials or objects to be dried (F26B3/14 takes precedence)
- F26B 9/02: in buildings (special types of buildings E04H)
- E04B 1/7015: {by heating the ambient air}
- E04B 1/7069: {by ventilating (means for ventilating in floors E04B5/48, in ceilings E04B9/02, in building blocks E04C1/392, in building panels E04C2/521, in roofs E04D13/16; ventilating wall coverings E04F13/007)}
- F26B: DRYING SOLID MATERIALS OR OBJECTS BY REMOVING LIQUID THEREFROM (drying devices for combines A01D41/133; racks for drying fruit or vegetables A01F25/12; drying foodstuffs A23; drying hair A45D20/00; body-drying implements A47K10/00; drying household articles A47L; drying gases or vapours B01D; chemical or physical processes for dewatering or like separating liquids from solids B01D43/00; centrifugal apparatus B04; drying ceramics C04B33/30; drying yarns or fabrics in association with some other form of treatment D06C; drying frames for laundry without heating or positive air circulation, domestic laundry-or spin-driers, wringing or hot pressing laundry D06F; furnaces, kilns, ovens F27)
- E04B: GENERAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTIONS; WALLS, e.g. PARTITIONS; ROOFS; FLOORS; CEILINGS; INSULATION OR OTHER PROTECTION OF BUILDINGS (border constructions of opening in walls, floors or ceilings E06B1/00; {electromagnetic shielding H05K9/0001})

## Abstract

A drying apparatus for temporary location within a damp or waterlogged room is disclosed. The apparatus includes sensors to sense the level of temperature and humidity within the room, a heater to provide heat for the room, an air circulation fan for selectively circulating heated air within the room or selectively exhausting warm and humid air from the room and for allowing outside ambient air into the room. The apparatus being adapted to cyclically continue until the sensed humidity reaches a required level, the apparatus thereafter indicating, directly or indirectly, the completion of the drying process. A method of drying a room using such apparatus is also disclosed which employs a technique whereby the rate of change of the temperature increase is used to determine when humid air should be exhausted from the room. A time limit can also be use to determine when said exhausting takes place.

## Claims

### Claim 1

According to a first aspect the invention comprises, a cyclic room drying method including initiating a room drying process including the steps of:
heating the air in the room and circulating said heated air around the room;
continually or periodically monitoring the room temperature and, optionally, the humidity;
the temperature and optionally the humidity having a preselected maximum;
exhausting the heated air in the room following the first to occur of either a) the attaining of predetermined characteristics below the preselected maximum temperature and, optionally, level of humidity of said monitored room, or b) a predetermined time period;
introducing fresh air into the room; and,
repeating the steps above until a suitably dry room is obtained.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of drying a room as recited in claim 1 wherein said exhausting step is initiated after a heating and circulation period of approximately 1 to 3 hours, more preferably approximately 2 hours unless said predetermined temperature or humidity characteristics are attained within said period.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of drying a room as recited in claim 1, wherein said characteristics are a reduction in the rate of increase of temperature or humidity over time.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of drying a room as recited in claim 3, wherein the rate of increase is zero or approaching zero.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of drying a room as recited in claim 1 wherein the room temperature at which the exhausting occurs increases with successive drying cycles.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of drying a room as recited in claim 1, wherein said fresh air is drawn from either outside the building in which the room is located, or from another room in the building.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of drying a room as recited in claim 1, wherein the reference humidity is provided by a remote reference in the building in which the room is located.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of drying a room as recited in claim 1 in which air being drawn into the room is pre-heated to reduce the risk of condensation.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

A drying apparatus for use in a damp or waterlogged room, the apparatus including sensing means to sense room humidity and air temperature in the room, heating means to provide heat for the room, air circulation means for selectively circulating heated air within the room or selectively exhausting warm and humid air from the room and for allowing outside ambient air into the room, the apparatus further including a circuit arranged to control the drying method as recited in claim 1.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The drying apparatus recited in claim 9, wherein the apparatus includes a heater, coupled via ducting to air circulation fans including an inlet fan and an outlet fan, the inlet fan selectively either recirculating air within the room until chosen temperature characteristics have been attained or time period has been reached, or, via the use of an air intake valve, drawing outside ambient air into the room to replace saturated air expelled by the exhaust fan at the end of each drying cycle.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The drying apparatus recited in claim 10, wherein the heater comprises an electric heater.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The drying apparatus recited in claim 10, wherein the circuit is in the form of processor which receives sensed signals from sensors in the room and on or in the apparatus which sense room air temperature and/or room air or other humidity.

### Claim 13 (depends on 9)

The drying apparatus recited in claim 9, wherein the apparatus also includes means for recording energy used during the drying process.

### Claim 14 (depends on 9)

The drying apparatus recited in claim 9, further comprising a timer for recording data at required intervals.

### Claim 15 (depends on 9)

The drying apparatus recited in claim 9, wherein the apparatus is a stand alone unit and operates until it detects that the room within which it is installed is sufficiently dry.

### Claim 16 (depends on 9)

The drying apparatus recited in claim 9, further comprising remote communications which indicates to a remote location that the room is sufficiently dry for the apparatus to be removed and relocated if necessary to dry another room.

### Claim 17 (depends on 9)

The drying apparatus recited in claim 9, wherein said apparatus is portable and temporarily locatable in said room for said drying.

### Claim 18 (depends on 9)

The drying apparatus recited in claim 9 including a heater to pre-heat outside ambient air as it is drawn into the room being dried to reduce the risk of condensation.