ᐅ Drying, Heating, and Ventilation of Screed – Questions

Hello everyone,

We are expecting the screed to be installed at the beginning of July (solid construction, semi-detached house, two full floors plus basement).
The plan includes using heating devices/programs for drying, along with dehumidifiers with drainage hoses and fans.

Now, the questions:
1. The sequence: the screed will be poured, then left undisturbed for a few days until it sets, followed by heating.
When should the heating start – immediately after it sets, or should there be a few weeks of conventional drying without any technology first?

2. We thought the dehumidifiers and fans would be used together with the heating (which seems logical, as the heating creates a lot of moisture). However, our site manager said the heating should run first, and only after that the dehumidifiers and fans should be used. He was a bit uncertain and said he would check on it.

3. The construction site is a bit far from our current apartment. Without dehumidifiers or fans, the recommendation is to ventilate twice daily during drying. Can the combination of dehumidifiers and fans replace conventional ventilation? Even if airing out is only needed once every two to three days, that would be a great relief.

Many thanks for your help!

Best regards,
Nils

NilsHolgersson schrieb:

1. The sequence: the screed is poured, then a few days of complete rest until it hardens, then heating up.
When does the heating start – immediately after it hardens or only after a few weeks of conventional drying without equipment?

As you prefer or as specified by the heating protocol. It can depend on the type of screed, etc. But the site is not dried during the first few days.

NilsHolgersson schrieb:

2. We thought the dehumidifiers and fans would be used together with the heating (which would make sense, since heating produces a lot of moisture). However, our site manager said the heating should run first and only after it is finished should the dehumidifiers and fans be used. He was a bit uncertain and said he would check.

Dehumidifiers and fans are normally not necessary if proper ventilation is possible. Are you in a hurry?

NilsHolgersson schrieb:

3. The construction site is a bit far from our current residence. During drying without dehumidifiers/fans, it is recommended to ventilate twice daily. Can the combination of dehumidifiers and fans replace conventional ventilation? Even if ventilation is only done once every 2–3 days, that would be a huge relief.

Yes.

Thank you for the response.

nordanney schrieb:

Dehumidifiers and fans are not necessary on site if proper ventilation is possible. Are you in a hurry?

Yes, we are quite in a hurry: according to the building plan, the screed will be installed starting 4th July, with the drying phase lasting until 15th August – so just under 6 weeks – but we are experiencing significant construction delays.
Additionally, there is the issue of having to travel back and forth twice daily for ventilation.

Since there are probably still some tradespeople working in the house, you can expect them to leave the windows wide open because they don’t want to work in a tropical environment (summer and high humidity due to screed drying). As a result, we hardly ventilated at all. Maybe just try talking to them.

Then use an accelerator for the screed. I was able to start installing the parquet just one week after the screed. It might cost a small four-digit amount, but you quickly recover that by the shortened drying time.

nordanney schrieb:

Dehumidifiers and fans are usually not necessary if proper ventilation is possible.

There is still a very important question remaining: should/would dehumidifiers and fans operate together with the heating, or rather sequentially (for example, a couple of weeks of heating first, followed by separate use of dehumidifiers/fans)?