Onsite Construction Solutions for Drying Rooms

On your construction site an effective drying room is essential. After working in the cold and wet, who wants to put on damp clothes? Despite all your best efforts, it can be difficult to find a solution to make your drying room as comfortable for your employees as you would like. So how do you create the ideal drying room for your team?

The Considerate Contractor Scheme, has increased awareness of onsite elements that can enhance workforces’ health and wellbeing; this includes creating comfortable working environments. An internationally focused construction company, who are also members of the scheme, called upon Polygon’s expertise to help create the right environment for their drying room and improve employee’s health and wellbeing onsite. 

The Problem

The issue stemmed from heater thermostats being set to the maximum 30-degree setting, creating an overly hot and muggy atmosphere. In response, workers opened windows and doors, unintentionally disrupting the drying process. %Relative Humidity levels failed to reach the required thresholds, preventing fans from effectively extracting damp air. This led to stagnant conditions, further hindering drying efficiency. The existing system relied solely on heat and extract ventilation to remove moisture. There was no dehumidification in place, which is a key factor for drying any form of material. 

Our Solution

A two stage trial was conducted, with the first stage monitoring and recording conditions in the existing drying room with heaters and extract fans for four weeks, while the second stage did the same after installing the Polygon solution. 

Stage one – Analysing the existing method:  

Temperature and humidity readings showed consistently high temperatures (28-32°C) to draw moisture from clothing, with relative humidity at 55-65% RH.

Throughout the trial, it was observed that operatives frequently opened windows and doors to improve airflow, as the space felt stuffy due to moisture-laden air and minimal circulation. The existing system proved highly inefficient with excessive energy use, high costs and a large carbon footprint. 

Stage two – Creating the optimum temperature:  

Turning the existing heaters off, all three drying elements (heat, dehumidification and air movement) were provided using four dehumidifiers and four 3kW electric heaters. The dehumidifiers, placed in each corner at a high level, collected moisture as condensate, which was pumped to the nearest drain.

Designed for efficient dehumidification in unheated spaces, they used minimal energy, featuring crossflow technology for optimal efficiency and sensors for real-time monitoring and automatic adjustments. The system also provided on/off status and power failure alerts to the remote monitoring system. 

During this stage, temperatures ranged from 22-25°C, with humidity at 30-40% RH. A brief temperature spike above 30°C occurred when site operatives overrode the thermostats. 

Outcome

The second phase showed that controlling %Relative Humidity, not temperature, kept the drying room comfortable for operatives. Whilst lowering the vapour pressure helped remove moisture from materials more effectively. 

At first, site operatives were sceptical about the new equipment, fearing the room would stay uncomfortable. However, they grew accustomed to it, and their feedback at the end was positive. 

The Polygon solution had significantly lower running costs and a smaller carbon footprint than the existing system, with the added benefit of year-round effectiveness. 

By utilising our experience and expertise in creating the right environment, not only can you positively impact the health and wellbeing of your workers on site, but our solution can also lead to a saving of up to 90% of your running costs.