Containment measures can save time and expense when cleaning up water

Puritan Flood was recently called by a Boston-area self- insured high tech firm after their main conference facility was flooded due to a water pipe burst in an adjacent room. The wall and rug were saturated in several areas and our client needed to use the space for an important meeting in just three days. In order to dry the room out quickly, we had to work smart. This conference room was large, measuring 75' by 100'. Because we were called to the scene quickly, we were able to assess the situation to plan the best method to dry the room with speed and safety. After our inspection of the property, we decided to make use of a containment system for the job, a decision which allowed us to complete our work in just two days. To cordon off a containment area, we used a ZipWall barrier system. With this system we were able to gain maximum drying efficiency by sectioning off a smaller area of the room measuring just 25' X 25'. This meant that we needed to use fewer pieces of equipment while improving operating efficiency. Had we not used this system, we would have had to bring in much larger and more costly equipment to complete the job. The ZipWall system is based on telescoping, spring-loaded poles. Plastic sheeting is secured at the top of each pole between an interlocking head and plate. The telescoping action allows the sheeting to be raised without using a ladder and the spring loading mechanism makes it easier to lift the pole to tuck the sheeting underneath during setup. The modern containment system that the ZipWall offers is just one of the many methods Puritan Flood Restoration incorporates into our daily work to make recovery and restoration as fast and as cost effective as possible for our clients. In this situation, by drying only a section of the room, we were able to use a much smaller dehumidifier, saving our customer hundreds of dollars and valuable time. Paul Daniele is a principal of Puritan Flood Restoration, Needham, Mass.