Damage inspection and evaluation
Damage inspection and evaluation
This domain tests how you turn a first look at a commercial loss into a defensible drying plan. The exam expects a systematic inspection: identify the water source and category, classify the extent of wetting, establish an unaffected dry standard, and record evidence before equipment moves.
Core rules
- Source and category first. Category 1 clean water can degrade to Category 2 or 3 with time, contact with soil, or organic reservoirs. Re-categorize when conditions change.
- Class is about the drying challenge, not the floor plan. Class 1–4 estimates how much of the assembly is wet and how difficult it is to dry; Class 4 covers low-permeance or deeply held moisture.
- Map, do not spot-check. Use non-penetrating and penetrating meters, thermo-hygrometers, and thermal imaging to trace migration through cavities, ceilings, and shafts. Record readings on a sketch with grid references.
- Set the dry standard from comparable unaffected material in the same building and exposure. Do not use an arbitrary percentage.
- Document pre-existing damage and hazards - asbestos, lead, electrical, slip, microbial, and structural concerns - before work begins.
Worked example
A second-floor supply line fails in a three-story office. Carpet on floor 2 reads elevated, and a first-floor ceiling tile is stained. Surface readings alone suggest a small Class 2 loss. Thermal imaging shows a wet chase and saturated ceiling grid on floor 1. The dry standard is taken from an unaffected interior wall on the same floor. Because water traveled through a concealed cavity, the scope includes cavity access and monitoring. The category remains 1 only if the water is clean and has not contacted soil or become stagnant; otherwise it is reclassified.
Traps
Using only a pin meter on visible surfaces; ignoring concealed migration; declaring a category once and never reviewing it; using exterior or basement readings as the dry standard.