Most water damage events look dry long before the structural assemblies actually are. A room that smells fine and feels dry to the touch may have framing at 25-30% moisture content — well above the 6-12% target range required for true structural drying. COS Water Damage Restoration's Canova structural drying program is driven by daily psychrometric readings, not visual judgment.
The difference between structural drying done right and structural drying done fast is what ends up in your walls three months later.
Undersized or generic dehumidification is the most common technical failure in Canova drying projects.
Every active drying project in Canova receives a daily psychrometric reading session: temperature, relative humidity, specific humidity, grains per pound of moisture in the air, and moisture content readings at fixed sensor points in each structural assembly. These readings are logged and provided as documentation of the drying program for your insurance claim. Drying is declared complete only when readings at all sensor points fall within the target EMC range for the material species being dried.
Wall cavity drying is where most post-loss mold in Canova properties originates. It's where we focus.
Insurance-formatted drying documentation means faster settlement and fewer adjuster callbacks.
Here are the specific drying scenarios and assembly types our Canova team is equipped and trained to handle.
Wall cavity drying in Canova is standard procedure on every job where moisture mapping indicates wall system saturation.
Subfloor assemblies — OSB or plywood sheathing over floor joists — and hardwood flooring systems require targeted drying approaches because of their density and their tendency to cup, buckle, or swell when dried too aggressively or left wet too long. Our Canova drying crew evaluates hardwood flooring species and moisture content before recommending drying-in-place versus removal, and when drying in place is appropriate, we use floor drying mats that direct conditioned air against the top face of the hardwood under controlled pressure — accelerating evaporation while minimizing the differential drying stress that causes cupping.
Crawlspace drying in Canova properties is complicated by limited access, typically poor natural ventilation, and the presence of vapor barriers that may trap moisture against wood framing. Our Canova below-grade drying team is equipped with compact high-velocity air movers that fit through standard crawlspace access hatches, portable LGR units configured for below-grade operation, and moisture meters suitable for sub-surface readings at joist and beam locations. Vapor barrier condition is evaluated and re-secured after drying if disturbed during the process.
Ceiling assembly drying is one of the more technically demanding aspects of water damage restoration in Canova structures.
Large water events in Canova commercial or multi-family properties may affect dozens of rooms across multiple floors — requiring coordinated equipment staging, airflow balancing between spaces, and readings management across a large number of sensor points simultaneously. Our Canova commercial drying team uses scaled equipment deployment and a project management approach that tracks readings and equipment across the full property footprint, adjusting equipment placement and settings daily based on the reading data from each zone.
Every active structural drying program in Canova is also a mold prevention program — because the conditions that support mold growth (elevated moisture content in organic materials and elevated relative humidity in the air space) are exactly the conditions a drying program is designed to eliminate. Our daily reading sessions include assessment of the ambient RH and temperature conditions in each drying zone against the threshold conditions that support mold colonization. If readings suggest an elevated mold risk — particularly in projects where extraction was delayed — we address it proactively with targeted antimicrobial treatment during the active drying program.


Equipment before mapping is guesswork. Mapping before equipment is science.
Equipment placement is engineered based on the moisture map and assembly data — not placed by habit.
Every calendar day, our Canova technician visits your property, takes complete psychrometric readings at all sensor points and ambient measurement locations, logs the data, adjusts equipment if indicated, and reports the daily progress to you and your insurance carrier. The drying program continues until all assemblies reach their EMC target range.
When all sensor point readings fall within the target equilibrium moisture content range for the specific materials being dried, we perform a final comprehensive moisture survey of the entire affected area and issue a written drying completion report. This report is included in your insurance claim documentation and serves as your record of successful structural drying.



"The most important thing about COS Water Damage Restoration's Canova structural drying was that they explained the readings to me every single day. I understood what the numbers meant, what the target was, and how far we were from completion. By day six I was watching the moisture content readings in our wall framing drop from 28% to 11% and understood exactly what was happening and why. That level of transparency is what you need when your home is full of drying equipment for a week."
"The thermal imaging session at the beginning was what showed us the water had migrated into a wall cavity adjacent to the flooded room that we never would have found otherwise. COS Water Damage Restoration set up wall cavity drying for that section specifically, and the final readings confirmed it came out completely dry alongside everything else. That's the kind of detail that prevents the mold problem three months later."
"We manage several Canova commercial properties and structural drying after water events is something we deal with periodically. COS Water Damage Restoration is the only company we use because of their documentation process. Zone-specific readings, daily logs we can review from our office, and a written drying completion report at the end of every project. When a tenant asks for proof that remediation was complete, we have an instrument-confirmed document, not a technician's verbal assurance."
COS Water Damage Restoration's Canova structural drying team serves Canova and surrounding communities throughout SD. Daily monitoring included. Call +1-844-499-0972 to get started.
Structural drying that's done when it looks done leads to mold. Structural drying that's done when the readings confirm it leads to a genuinely recovered property. Call +1-844-499-0972 and our Canova drying crew brings the instruments and the protocol.
📞 Call +1-844-499-0972 — Canova Structural Drying24/7 Available · IICRC WRT Certified · Daily Readings · Canova, SD