Drying a Ceiling Assembly After a Category 2 Loss
- When:
- Spring 2026
- Loss:
- Ceiling water damage
- IICRC:
- Category 2
Water damage in this Bountiful home ran across a living room and hallway ceiling and into the master bedroom.
A ceiling is not a wall lying on its side, and it does not dry like one. The wet material is overhead, fastened into framing that is also wet, and gravity works against the assembly the entire time rather than with it. Airflow only reaches the top side of that assembly through whatever the cavity allows, which is usually very little — so an equivalent area of ceiling takes longer than a wall, and the difference is not something you can judge by looking at it.
That is the reason a ceiling loss is a monitoring problem rather than an equipment-placement problem. LGR dehumidification and air movers were set on this one, and readings were taken on the assembly through the monitoring period rather than at the end, because the surface of a ceiling gives no useful signal about the framing and insulation above it.
What the work involved
- Ceiling assembly assessed
- LGR dehumidification with air movers
- Moisture readings tracked on the ceiling assembly through the monitoring period
Result
Ceiling assembly assessed and dried under LGR dehumidification and air movers, with readings tracked through the monitoring period.
Services used on this job: Water Damage Restoration