To properly start this off… who am I, and why should you care about my thoughts on this piece of equipment? My name is Jason, and I’m an IICRC Master Certified Technician with over 15 years of experience in the mitigation and restoration industry. Before that, I was in law enforcement, and I coached lacrosse.
I’m sharing this with you hoping that my personality comes through in the text. I’m a no-nonsense kind of guy who lives for efficiency and quality of work. So, when a manufacturer of equipment makes a piece of gear that can simplify my life, I like to share it with everyone, especially my competitors. While I enjoy fixing their mistakes (it’s just easy money), I can’t do everything myself, and I need more (me + golf) or (me + fishing) time!
What is Asset / Data Logging by Humidity Matters?
Asset and data logging, or “TRACKING” is exactly what it sounds like… The asset part is the ability to know where every tagged piece of equipment is at any given time, and the ability to see in real time if that piece of equipment is running or not. The Data side is the convenience to have accurate auto updating readings on certain equipment, such as run time, atmospheric readings, moisture content readings.
Humidity Matters IOT Asset & Data Logging | On the Job Performance:
The Job
Saturday morning, Modern Bi-Level Home in NJ. Defective ice maker in refrigerator. Homeowners woke up to side-by-side fridge full of water when the doors were opened water freely flowed out affecting two levels of the home and damaging ceramic tile, hardwood flooring, drywall, and framing.
Affected Rooms:
Upper Level
- Kitchen, living room, dining room.
Lower Level
- Family room, bathroom, bedroom, laundry room and storage room.
First Impressions
Scenario One | Set it and forget it!
The typical remediation company comes in, removes what materials they feel is necessary. They then overload the home with equipment (usually more than what is required)
They come back in 4-5 days, pick up the equipment and bill the customer.
The insurance company only pays them for 3 days of drying maximum (no drying logs present) and they either charge the customer directly for the balance, or they just lose money.
Scenario Two
The same process as above, but they make up daily readings hoping that they are accurate, risk the possibility of pulling out the equipment before the materials are sufficiently dry and cause microbial growth to incubate.
Scenario Three
During a catastrophic weather event (polar freeze, storm surge etc.) The contractor handles multiple jobs per day for an extended time frame. After the event has been properly mitigated and you are restocking your shelves you notice that air movers, dehus, and various other equipment is missing. It was forgotten about, left behind, or picked up by another contractor. Your profits from all the hard work that was accomplished over the past weeks has just been cut in half, as you need to replace all that missing equipment.
Scenario Four
All your equipment is fitted with Humidity Matters IO sensors. And you have mobile gateways on your job sites. You know where every piece is, you know if it’s doing the job it was designed to do, and you know if it has been tampered with.
My overall Thoughts
Thought #1
I’ve tried this type of technology in the past (only to be frustrated and let down by connectivity issues, battery runtime, set up time, and overall failure of the systems promises. In the past the equipment must have been close to the Wi-Fi, or a mobile phone left behind on site. NOT WITH HUMIDITY MATTERS!!!
- I put my gateway in the kitchen (which is the size of an EZ PASS)
- I put 1 hygrometer on the dehu with the probe hanging in the exhaust side. (instant temperature, and RH readings off dehu)
- I put 1 hygrometer on the counter (instant temp and humidity reading of ambient air)
We placed a moisture sensor on the framing in the lower-level family room, and another 2hygrometers in the bedroom on the dehu, and in the hallway.
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Thought #2
We can access all this equipment off a single gateway, get accurate time sensitive readings multiple times a day. We can honestly charge for equipment onsite, and we are monitoring our progress. We know when a homeowner turns off the equipment (at bedtime), we know if we’ve blown a fuse and the system shuts down, and we know when we can pick up the equipment to be used for the next job.
Thought #3
Too many times, a crew other than the one who set up equipment has been tasked with the pickup. Techs have left air movers in closets, crawlspaces, garages and attics. These costs add up quickly. I’ve seen dehumidifiers left behind and forgotten about. NEVER AGAIN. This system even has mini sensors that can be placed on respirators, tools, moisture meters etc. No more misplaced full-face respirators. Each sensor can be custom labeled on the dashboard in seconds. No more confusing what belongs to who.
Does it do the thing it’s supposed to do?
Yes, 100%.
Ease of Use
If you can “track my phone”, you can track your equipment and job progression from the comfort of wherever you can access the internet or cellular service via an easy-to-use user interface portal (screen shots below).
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Closing Thoughts and Overall Rating
This is the most comprehensive asset management system I’ve ever seen.
- The range from the gateway to the sensors is incredible, over 300 Meters (984 Feet) away with superior connection. (Perfect for commercial and residential)
- Batteries are replaceable (lasting up to 6 years per piece) for the HM-1 and non-replaceable for the hygrometer.
- Application is web based. Can be accessed on any platform no downloading apps required.
- Multi band unlocked mobile gateway. Not locked into any specific wireless carrier, it searches for the strongest signal and locks in.
Extremely affordable, less expensive than a typical monthly phone bill.
Product Rating: 6 out of 6
Rating of 1-3 (does not get a written or video review)
1 – Did not work – Did not function – QC issue
2- Worked, but not worth the investment.
3- Worked, but the learning curve would slow us down.
Rating of 4-6
4- Worked Well | It’s better than what I use now, so when it’s time, this is my new “go-to”.
5- Worked Well & Saved Time | It’s better than the old stuff and you can get home for dinner!
6- Where Have You Been My Whole Life | A New Standard.
For more info on Humidity Matters visit: | www.humiditymattersiot.com
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS of WORKING WITH PAUL DAVIS?
INSURANCE AGENT BENEFITS | Assign a Claim
- Cost savings
- Improved productivity
- Complete documentation to help you close claims faster
- Satisfied customers
POLICY HOLDER BENEFITS | Assign a Claim
- Fast response
- Less disruption
- Quality repairs
- Insurance claims assistance
Here at Paul Davis, we use the latest technology and techniques to repair and restore the damage caused by fire & smoke damage. We treat contents such as carpets, art, clothing, drapery, furniture, and other items using sophisticated ozone equipment and thoroughly remove the stains and odors associated with smoke and other fire-related damage.
All Paul Davis offices are certified in Applied Structural Drying (ASD). ASD maximizes the removal of water from building materials using scientific methods and specialized equipment. This approach uses the proper combination of air movement, temperature control, humidity control and dehumidification to quickly remove moisture with little disturbance to the structure or contents. ASD allows us to save building materials (including drywall, carpets and padding) and, in most cases, dry affected areas in as few as 3 days.
