They use sensors, thermal cameras, remote monitoring, 3D scans, data logging, and software that ties it all together. That is how the team at All Pro Water Damage turns messy water losses into structured, measurable projects. Faster drying, less tear out, clearer reports for insurance, and fewer surprises for homeowners. It sounds simple. It rarely is. The tech stack changes the work on day one, then every hour until the last reading is green.
What tech looks like on the first day
I am going to walk you through a common flow. Not theory. This is what you would see on site.
Intake and dispatch
Calls or messages hit a central system. An operator sees location, loss type, photos if the caller added them, and a short checklist. The system ranks the job by risk, for example, active leak with ceiling collapse rises to the top. Crews get the job on a mobile app with GPS routing, gear list, and an ETA window the homeowner can track. It is not flashy. It cuts guesswork.
Arrival kit
Techs carry a standard set:
- Non-invasive moisture meter and pin meter for spot checks
- Thermal imaging camera to spot hidden moisture behind drywall and under floors
- Hygrometer to read temperature and relative humidity
- Data loggers and wireless sensors ready to deploy
- Borescope for tight cavities
- Anemometer to verify airflow around problem areas
They document everything with a phone or tablet app. Every photo, every meter reading, time stamped and mapped to a room and surface. The first 30 minutes shape the next three days.
Accurate measurement early often saves hours of demo later. Measure before you remove.
Category and class, but with proof
Restoration standards call for a category and a class. Category is the source, clean supply line or not so clean drain water. Class is how much material and space is affected. The twist is proof. Instead of eyeballing, techs gather heat signatures, moisture maps, and grains per pound data, then set targets. You get a plan with numbers, not just a promise to check back tomorrow.
Thermal imaging that guides the plan
A thermal camera does not see water. It sees surface temperature differences. That still helps a lot. A wet area cools from evaporation and often looks slightly colder. Techs scan walls, ceilings, baseboards, and floors. They mark areas that need pin meter confirmation. Sometimes the camera shows a cold pattern that matches a stud bay or a duct run, not moisture. That is why they double check. The camera is a fast scout, not the judge.
Typical wins from thermal imaging:
- Finding a hidden wet ceiling two rooms away from the leak
- Tracing a pipe run that cooled the wall and confused the original sight check
- Confirming that under-cabinet spaces need directed airflow, not full removal
A thermal camera is only as good as the person who knows when to trust the meter instead.
IoT sensors and remote drying
Once extraction and setup begin, sensors go in. The crew places small wireless devices that track temperature, relative humidity, and sometimes surface moisture. Gateways in the home send readings through cellular or Wi-Fi. Each sensor checks in every few minutes. No more guessing if the dehumidifier got shut off by accident at midnight. If a reading goes off track, an alert pings the on-call tech.
| Sensor type | What it tracks | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Ambient hygrometer | Temperature, relative humidity | Calculates grains per pound and dew point, both guide drying speed |
| Surface moisture puck | Surface conductivity or capacitance | Shows trends in wet materials without pin holes |
| Wood probe | Moisture content in wood | For finish trim, studs, subfloor, prevents future cupping or warping |
| Differential pressure sensor | Pressure between work area and clean area | Confirms negative pressure during demolition or mold control |
Some dehumidifiers and air movers include built-in logging. A tech can see coil temperatures, hours run, amperage, and filter status on a phone. This helps avoid a simple problem that causes long delays, for example a clogged filter or a tripped GFCI outlet behind a washer.
The best drying plan loses value if a breaker pops at 2 a.m. Remote alerts reduce those surprises.
Psychrometrics without the jargon soup
I know, charts and acronyms scare people off. You do not need to be a scientist. You only need the parts that change the job.
Two numbers drive most decisions:
- Grains per pound, the actual water in the air
- Vapor pressure difference, the push that moves moisture from wet materials into drier air
Why care? Fans move air. Air does the drying. If the air is already heavy with moisture, nothing much leaves the wall. Drying stalls.
A quick example with real numbers
Say the room air is 78 F and 60 percent relative humidity. That is about 128 grains per pound. Outside air is 50 F and 40 percent relative humidity, roughly 31 grains per pound. If your dehumidifier brings the room down to 55 grains per pound and you hold that level, moisture will move. If the grains per pound level rises overnight to 110, the job slows or stops. Remote sensors show the trend line, not just a one-time reading at noon.
Techs at All Pro build targets like this into the job app. For a typical drywall cavity, they look for a 10 to 15 grain per pound difference between the affected space and the supply air near the drying chamber. They track moisture content in wood trim moving below 16 percent, then under 12 percent, before removing equipment. Less guessing. Less debate with adjusters later.
Drying happens when the air in contact with wet surfaces is dry enough and moving enough. Both parts matter.
Extraction and directed drying with less tear out
Water removal is still the fastest step. Truck-mounts and pumps pull gallons in minutes. Where tech changes the game is the next step, saving materials when possible.
- Weighted extraction across carpet and pad removes more water before drying gear even starts
- Floor mats pull water through seams and nail holes in hardwood without prying up the first board
- Wall cavity drying kits move air through baseboard holes or outlets, not full flood cuts
They do not keep everything. They only keep what the data supports. If a base cabinet swelled and readings stay high after 24 hours with good airflow, it comes out. If OSB edges spike and hold, you replace those sections. The difference is timing. Data speeds the decision, which cuts total days on site.
Containment, pressure, and clean air while you work
You might have seen plastic walls in job photos. That is containment. Tape, poles, and zipper doors create a smaller work area. Air scrubbers with HEPA filters clean the air. A differential pressure sensor tells you the work zone is under slight negative pressure compared to clean areas. That means dust and aerosols flow into the zone, not out to the living room. It is a small detail that carries big weight during demolition and when sewage is involved.
Why include sensors for pressure? Because a fan can give a false sense of control. Doors open, wind changes, vents cycle. Without readings, you are guessing. With readings, you adjust the scrubber speed or add makeup air until the number sits where you want it.
3D scans and better documentation for everyone
Photos are fine. A 3D scan is better. Crews walk the space with a mobile scanner. The result is a clickable model with room labels, measurements, and tags on wet areas and materials. You can pull a floor plan and count square footage without revisiting the site. The estimator builds a scope with fewer back-and-forth messages. Homeowners see what changed and why. Insurers see what was wet and what came out. This reduces disputes, which saves days.
| Old way | With 3D and logs |
|---|---|
| Dozens of photos in a folder, unclear order | Room-by-room model with pins, labels, and notes |
| Handwritten sketches | Auto-generated floor plans with measurements |
| Moisture logs on paper | Time-stamped digital readings with graphs |
| Phone calls to request updates | Web link with current readings and next steps |
Software stack, stitched for field work
Many shops own tools. Fewer shops connect them. The All Pro workflow ties job intake, dispatch, moisture mapping, photos, 3D scans, estimates, and invoices into one path. No double entry. Less chance a photo sits on a phone and never makes it to the file.
Here is a simple way to picture it:
- Job intake creates a case with a unique ID
- Every photo, reading, and scan tags that ID
- Reports and estimates pull from those tags
- Client and insurer portals show a filtered view
Data privacy matters. Access levels hide details that do not apply to each person. For example, a homeowner sees progress, not internal cost notes. A carrier sees scope, photos, and readings, not personal contact notes. This is common sense, yet many systems miss it. I like the focus on the right view for the right audience.
AI that helps, not replaces
There is a lot of hype around AI. I do not buy all of it. I do like the simple wins here.
- Anomaly detection flags a room where readings flatten, which hints at a hidden cavity or a shut down machine
- Suggested line items in the estimate speed up writing, then a human edits
- Photo tagging auto-labels rooms and materials so the file stays organized
- Scheduling aids look at crew location, skill, and gear on hand, and assign the next stop with less driving
Techs still make the call. AI might suggest a wall cavity drying setup based on past jobs. The tech checks for asbestos concerns in older homes and adjusts. The result is faster prep with the same standard of care.
Let software sort the noise. Keep people on judgment and craft.
Communication that prevents the 9 p.m. text
Homeowners worry. I would too. A clear plan and a simple way to see progress help a lot. The team shares a link with a timeline, current readings, next steps, and visit windows. Photos show what came out and what stays. If a plan changes, the note explains why. You can still call, of course. Many do. But the link calms most nerves.
Quality control starts with calibration
Moisture meters drift. Hygrometers drift too. The shop keeps a calibration schedule. Devices get checked against known standards and replaced when they fall outside a tight range. Batteries are tagged and rotated. It sounds boring. It saves rework.
Field checks matter as well. Techs will cross check two meters on the same surface. If they disagree beyond an acceptable difference, one goes back to the truck and gets flagged for service. Simple habits build trust in the data.
Training and playbooks that stick
Tools only help when people know how to use them. New hires shadow vets. Short videos and checklists sit inside the job app. Tap a QR code on the dehumidifier to see setup tips, placement rules, and a quick chart that matches room size to pints per day ratings. I like short and local over long manuals that live in a drawer.
Case snapshot: water damage restoration in Salt Lake City
Let me share a short case that makes all this real.
After a winter cold snap, a pipe in a Salt Lake City basement burst behind a storage wall. The owner found it fast, but 500 square feet of carpet and drywall were wet. The job was booked as water damage restoration Salt Lake City and a two-person team rolled within an hour.
First reads showed 79 F, 65 percent relative humidity in the basement after the leak warmed the space. That is roughly 147 grains per pound. Thermal imaging showed a cold band along one wall, with surface pin meter readings high near baseboards. The storage wall hid four bays that were wetter than the room. The team:
- Extracted with a weighted tool until carpet pulled minimal water
- Opened four baseboard holes and set a cavity drying kit, then sealed the plastic
- Set two LGR dehumidifiers sized for the cubic footage and expected load
- Placed six air movers to create a clockwise flow across walls and into the cavity ports
- Deployed three sensors for room air, one in the cavity, and one surface puck on the worst wall
Targets were clear, hold the room near 55 to 60 grains per pound and bring wall moisture down below baseline plus 2 percent. Overnight, the system flagged a spike to 120 grains per pound at 3 a.m. The alert led to a quick call, then a small breaker reset. Drying resumed. By day two, wood trim fell under 15 percent, carpet tack strips were stable, and the cavity trended down. The crew removed gear on day three with photos, graphs, and a 3D scan update. No base cabinets came out. No flood cuts. The homeowner kept the storage wall. The carrier saw the file and approved without debate.
If you read tech blogs, you might think this is all trivial. In the field, small features like that 3 a.m. alert are the difference between three days and five.
What this means for people who like the tech side
This is applied sensing and feedback in a tough environment. The edge devices sit in hot, wet rooms. Batteries must last. Wireless signals fight through ducts and brick. People open windows. Power drops. Pets chew cords. The system still has to deliver clear, timely data.
I like three design choices here:
- Simple thresholds instead of black box scores. A tech sees grains per pound rising and knows what to do.
- Local logging on sensors. If the gateway loses signal for a while, data backfills when it returns.
- Human control of changes. The app can suggest, but the tech locks in the plan and signs it.
The signal-to-noise problem is real. A spike could be a dehumidifier off, a window open, or just a door propped during a delivery. Context matters. That is why pairing time-series data with photos and visit notes is smart. You can scroll the graph, then tap the photo from the same hour.
Limits and trade-offs
Not every job needs every tool. A half-bath leak caught in minutes does not warrant a full sensor grid. A sewage backup needs more containment, more protective steps, and a tighter pressure setup, even if readings look fine. There is also a point where saving materials costs more than replacing them. The team has to weigh labor, time, and risk. I do not think software can make that call for them.
There are privacy questions too. Cameras and sensors in a home are sensitive. Good practice keeps data on job scope only, no hallway cameras and no open notes about personal items. Short retention times for raw data make sense. People live here. Respect that.
Time and cost benefits without the buzzwords
Let us talk numbers. You want to know if the tech pays off. A few realistic ranges from shops that track this:
- Remote monitoring drops site checks by one to two trips on a three-day job, which saves fuel and crew hours
- Directed drying with cavity kits saves one wall of flood cuts in many clean water cases, which cuts rebuild cost
- 3D scans and organized logs reduce estimate revisions and payment delays by days, sometimes weeks
Gear costs are not trivial. A full sensor kit per job runs a few hundred dollars if you factor in gateways and service plans. Dehumidifiers and air movers are much more. Training takes time. The return shows up as fewer days per job, fewer callbacks, and higher close rates with carriers, since files are clean. It is not magic. It is steady gains across many steps.
Where this is heading next
I think we will see more autonomous checks, for example, a system that nudges a dehumidifier setting up or down inside safe bounds when grains per pound drift. We will likely see better mapping of wall and floor moisture with low-power radar that is more precise than current surface meters. Drones for roof inspection after hail are already common, and I expect better foldable units with obstacle sensors that can work in tight eaves.
What I do not want is a black box. People need to see why the system made a call. A clear audit trail builds trust. Keep the math visible. Keep the human in control.
When you need help in Salt Lake City
If you face a sudden leak, you do not care about acronyms. You want people who show up with a plan and the tools to make that plan work. The team handles water damage repair Salt Lake City, emergency water removal Salt Lake City, water damage cleanup Salt Lake City, and full water damage remediation Salt Lake City. They pair trained people with solid gear. That mix matters more than any single gadget.
A quick checklist you can use at home right now
If you are reading this because something is wet at this moment, here is a short list. Save the fancy stuff for the crew.
- Stop the source, shut off water if you can do it safely
- Move items off the floor, especially books and fabric
- Start simple airflow with fans, do not blast directly at wet drywall
- Do not run a central HVAC that might spread moisture and particles
- Take wide photos in daylight, then close-ups near baseboards
Then call someone who will show you readings and a plan, not just a quote. Ask to see their sensors and logs. You are not being picky. You are being practical.
Common questions and honest answers
How fast can a crew get to my home?
Response times vary by area and traffic. The dispatch system gives a live ETA. In many cases, a Salt Lake City address sees a truck in under two hours. Nights and storms change that. The tech will set a real window once the job is assigned.
Do sensors stay in my home the whole time?
Usually yes, for the drying phase. The devices are small and sit on shelves or tripods. They do not record audio or take pictures. They only log air and surface readings. The team removes them at the end.
Will you always save drywall and cabinets?
No. Clean water and fast response help a lot. Gray or black water means more removal. If swelling, delamination, or high readings persist after a fair attempt, removal is the right call. The data guides the choice and the file shows why.
What proof do I get for my insurer?
You get a package with photos, 3D scans when used, moisture logs with time stamps, and the scope of work. Adjusters like clear files. This reduces friction and speeds payment.
Do I need thermal imaging and 3D scans on small jobs?
Not always. A small washroom leak might only need quick readings and photos. Larger or complex layouts benefit from scans. The crew aims for the right level for the size, not a one-size plan.
Why not just put more fans and be done?
Airflow without dry air stalls. More fans can even spread moisture if grains per pound in the room are high. Balanced airflow and dehumidification beats brute force.
What happens if power goes out at night?
Remote alerts signal a problem. A tech can call, send a portable power source, or adjust the plan. Without alerts, you might lose half a day. With alerts, you lose an hour.
Can I see the readings myself?
Yes. Clients can access a simple view with current status and trends. If you like the numbers, you will enjoy seeing grains per pound fall and moisture content target lines crossed. If you do not, you can just watch the green checks appear.