Humidity Sensor Bathroom Fan vs. Wall Mounted Dehumidifier
In 2020 our Ocean Isle Beach, NC office received a call from a multifamily building contractor who was finishing up a 325+ unit luxury apartment complex in Pennsylvania. He was completing the last building phase and was almost at full capacity in the finished buildings.
Mold Appeared in Less Than Six Months
Tenants had lived in these buildings as little as 6 months when evidence of mold started appearing. Tenants were immediately displaced into temporary hotel lodging, a restoration company was hired, and mold remediation began. The contractor who contacted us was desperate, overwhelmed, and searching. Searching for answers to why this happened in a brand-new multifamily complex, but more importantly he was searching for a quick solution. All fingers pointed to him as the culprit of the disaster. The developer, architect, engineer, and property management team on the project were upset and perplexed that this could happen to a project that wasn’t even a year old and seeking answers.
Solution Needed ASAP
The presence of mold created a huge liability, health concerns, a plethora of paperwork, finger pointing, budget losses, and at-risk reputations. Emotions ran high and time was not on their side. They needed to solve this problem quickly and efficiently because every day mattered. They talked to numerous people in the industry and opinions circulated like wildfire.
Did Innovative Dehumidifiers Have The Solution?
Organized by the contractor, the entire crew of professionals involved with the project happily jumped on a call with Innovative Dehumidifiers to discuss probable causes and solutions. On the call was the architect, mechanical engineer, owner, developer, contactor, mechanical contractor, and property management team. Upon listening to why the IW25 apartment dehumidifier exists and how it simply works with aiding in mold prevention we learned the team had mixed opinions.
Although the contractor and management team were onboard, the engineer and developer discussed their thoughts aloud. They believed that purchasing wall mounted dehumidifiers for every apartment was “overkill” and that luxury complex’s issues were isolated in apartment bathrooms. So, they decided to focus solely on bathroom solutions instead of indoor relative humidity in the entire apartment. We walked away from that conversation knowing that although the fans helped, they couldn’t pull enough moisture throughout the whole apartment. Fans aren’t designed to pull moisture let alone from the entire apartment; they are designed to move air in a limited space. Regardless of our previous experience, years of testing and data, and personal involvement in the industry, they chose to purchase humidity sensor bathroom fans for each apartment.
Another Call To Innovative Dehumidifier Systems
About 8 months later, we received another call from the contractor regarding the same luxury property.
The Pennsylvanian apartment complex was again experiencing high moisture issues and the presence of mold was found in bedroom closets, behind dressers, under beds, and on leather goods. The bathroom fans were installed and in great working condition, however, they were not adequately dehumidifying the apartments. The contractor shared they were all in agreement to give the IW25-4 tamper-proof dehumidifiers a try.
Innovative Dehumidifiers personally visited the project and installed the complex’s first wall mounted dehumidifier in one of the most problematic apartments. Within hours the relative humidity in the entire apartment lowered. By the end of the week, we shipped the remaining units for the property. All 325+ units were installed within 3 weeks.
Since installation, the Pennsylvanian luxury apartment complex has not experienced any mold related issues. They are no longer spending their time researching the cause or solutions. They are no longer worried about health concerns, liabilities, budgets, or reputations. They can focus on what they do best, building and providing mold-free homes for tenants in Pennsylvania.
To learn more about buying a dehumidifier for bathrooms, click here.
