SE541825C2 - A dehumidification mat and a method for dehumidification of a concrete material - Google Patents

Description

A DEHUMIDIFICATION MAT AND A METHOD FOR DEHUMIDIFICATION OF A CONCRETE MATERIAL Technical field The invention relates to a dehumidification mat and a method for dehumidification of concrete.

Background art In order to be suitable for human habitation, a room must be maintained in a relatively warm and dry state. Moisture infiltration through concrete creates discomfort for the inhabitants of a room, and may also cause damage within the room.

Also, mould and mildew problems in buildings are becoming more common, and can lead to substantial remediation efforts, with associated costs or litigation.

In building construction, whether commercial or single or multiple family residential, problems can arise if a particular level of moisture remains in walls at the time the walls are sealed. During construction, these buildings are typically wet, either from rain/snow or from wet construction materials being used, for example, wet wood, or materials that are applied in a wet state and then need to dry. Mold will typically grow in wood or other construction material when there is sufficient moisture present.

Mold remediation, such as removal and prevention of future growth, is costly and time consuming. The existence of mold in a construction project can cause public relations issues, wherein the builder or project developer can be equated with the bad publicity related to the mold issues. Still further, legal issues can arise, related to the costs and delay of remediation, alleged health issues from occupants of the affected buildings, and contractual disputes arising over purchase or lease of the affected property, as a purchaser might wish to cancel a property transaction based on the mold issues.

Apart from mold issues, the presence of moisture alone can also lead to damage to structures and materials, resulting in costly remediation with corresponding issues to those noted hereinabove with respect to mold.

It has often been a complaint of most home owners that basements below ground level tend to have a musty odour. Furthermore it has been found that moisture accumulates in a basement, which contributes to this musty damp odour. Moisture can be removed from the air by cooling the air below its dew-point, which results in the condensation of the vapor and its subsequent removal as a liquid. One of the techniques that dehumidifier devices use to accomplish this is by use of a surface cooling technique in which air is passed over tubes cooled by a refrigerant flowing through them to cool the air below its dew-point and thereby cause the water vapor to condense out.

As can be appreciated these processes require the expenditure of large amounts of energy in order to reach an acceptable level of relative humidity in a room. It is this cost factor that has been a deterrent to most home owners installing effective dehumidifiers in their basement. In other words, there is a need for improvement in the field of dehumidifier devices to simplify the dehumidification procedure and to save costs.

Summary of the invention It is an objective of the present invention to provide an improvement of the above technique and prior art. More particularly, it is an objective of this invention to provide a new dehumidification mat which mitigate, alleviate or eliminate one or more of the above-identified problems.

According to a first aspect, these and other objects, and/or advantages that will be apparent from the following description of embodiments, are achieved, in full or at least in part, by a dehumidification mat. The dehumidification mat comprises an electric heating layer having a heating element distributed over an upper surface area of the electric heating layer, the electric heating layer being perforated by a plurality of holes, an outer layer sealingly enclosing the upper surface area of the electric heating layer, and a clutch arranged in the outer layer which is adapted to lead air into a space defined between the electric heating layer and outer layer upon connection to the air supply means.

This is advantageous in that both electrically generated heat from the heating element and air from an air supply means connected to the clutch may be utilized simultaneously to remove moisture from a material to be treated by means of the mat. This way, both heating and cooling of the material can be achieved. This provides an efficient wiping up of the material.

The dehumidification mat may further comprise an insulating layer arranged between the electric heating layer and the outer layer. The insulating layer will direct the heat generated by the heating element downwards and thus towards the material to be treated.

The dehumidification mat may further comprise ventilation bushings distributed across the mat. The ventilation bushings are constituted by through openings which are sealed towards the interior of the mat. An air feed introduced into the space defined between the electric heating layer and outer layer will exit the mat through the perforations in the electric heating layer below the mat. From there, the air feed may escape to the environment via the edges of the mat or via the ventilation bushings in the mat.

The air feed is preferably provided by means a fan connected to the clutch.

In one preferred embodiment, the heating element comprises a heating cable. Further, the insulating layer comprises a silicone material and the outer layer comprises a plastic material.

The dehumidification mat is especially adapted for treatment of concrete material.

According to a second aspect, these and other objects are achieved, in full or at least in part, by a method for dehumidification of concrete using a dehumidification mat as described above. The method comprises the steps of placing the dehumidification mat on the concrete, connecting an air supply means to the clutch in the dehumidification mat, activating the heating element in the electric heating layer, and feeding air from the air supply means via the clutch into a space defined between the electric heating layer and outer layer.

Effects and features of the second aspect of the present invention is largely analogous to those described above in connection with the first aspect the inventive concept. Embodiments mentioned in relation to the first aspect of the present invention are largely compatible with the further aspects of the invention.

Other objectives, features and advantages of the present invention will appear from the following detailed disclosure, from the attached claims, as well as from the drawings. It is noted that the invention relates to all possible combinations of features.

Generally, all terms used in the claims are to be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the technical field, unless explicitly defined otherwise herein. All references to “a/an/the [element, device, component, means, step, etc.]” are to be interpreted openly as referring to at least one instance of said element, device, component, means, step, etc., unless explicitly stated otherwise.

As used herein, the term “comprising” and variations of that term are not intended to exclude other additives, components, integers or steps.

Brief description of the drawings The above, as well as additional objects, features and advantages of the present invention, will be better understood through the following illustrative and non-limiting detailed description of embodiments of the present invention, with reference to the appended drawings, where the same reference numerals may be used for similar elements, and wherein: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a dehumidification mat according to a first aspect of the invention.

Fig. 2 is an exploded view of the dehumidification mat.

Fig. 3 is a transparent view of the dehumidification mat.

Detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention Fig. 1 illustrates a dehumidification mat 1 according to one exemplary embodiment of the invention.

In Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, the components of the dehumidification mat 1 is further illustrated. Specifically, the dehumidification mat 1 comprises an electric heating layer 2 having a heating element 3 consisting of a heating cable which is distributed over an upper surface area of the electric heating layer 2. The electric heating layer 2 is equipped with a plurality of through holes 4 which are evenly distributed over the upper surface area of the same. The dehumidification mat 1 further comprises an outer layer 5 sealingly enclosing the upper surface area of the electric heating layer 2, and an insulating layer 6 arranged between the electric heating layer 2 and the outer layer 5.

A clutch 7 connectable to an air supply means (not shown) is arranged in the outer layer 5. The clutch 7 is connected to the dehumidification mat 1 in a way such that, upon connection to and activation of the air supply means, it will lead air into a space 8 defined between the electric heating layer 2 and the outer layer 5. The clutch 7 is preferably made from a rubber material and has an inlet 9 arranged outside of the outer layer 5 of the mat 1 and an outlet 10 arranged between the electric heating layer 2 and the insulating layer 6.

The dehumidification mat 1 further comprises ventilation bushings 11 distributed across the mat 1. The ventilation bushings 11 are constituted by through openings which are sealed towards the interior of the mat 1.

The dehumidification mat 1 can be used in any type of dehumidification procedure in order to remove moisture. One exemplary method for dehumidification of concrete using the dehumidification mat 1 will be disclosed below.

In the method, as a first step, the dehumidification mat 1 placed on the concrete material to be dehumidified. Thereafter, an air supply means is connected to the clutch 7 of the dehumidification mat 1, and the heating element 3 in the electric heating layer 2 is activated. Now, air from the air supply means can be fed into the space 8 defined between the electric heating layer 2 and outer layer 5 via the clutch 7 while heat is generated by means of the heating element 3. The air feed introduced into the space 8 exit the mat 1 through the perforations 4 in the electric heating layer 2 below the mat 1. From there, the air feed may escape to the environment via the edges of the mat 1 or via the ventilation bushings 11 in the mat 1.

Thus, both electrically generated heat from the heating element 3 and air from the air supply means is utilized simultaneously to remove moisture from the concrete material. Accordingly, both heating and cooling of the concrete is achieved simultaneously which provides an efficient wiping up of the material.

The skilled person realises that a number of modifications of the embodiments described herein are possible without departing from the scope of the invention, which is defined in the appended claims.

For instance, the air supply means may be constituted by a fan. The insulating layer 6 may comprise a silicone material and the outer layer 5 may comprise a plastic material. Naturally, other material selections than the ones described in the application may be possible as well. Also, additional components may be added to the dehumidification mat 1 without departing from the scope of protection. This as long as the essential components are present.

Claims (9)

1. A dehumidification mat (1), comprising an electric heating layer (2) having a heating element (3) distributed over an upper surface area of the electric heating layer (2), the electric heating layer (2) being perforated by a plurality of holes (4), and an outer layer (5) sealingly enclosing the upper surface area of the electric heating layer (2), characterised by a clutch (7) arranged in the outer layer (5) which is connectable to an air supply means, and through ventilation bushings (11) distributed across the mat.

2. The dehumidification mat (1) according to claim 1, wherein the clutch (7) is adapted to lead air into a space (8) defined between the electric heating layer (2) and outer layer (5) upon connection to the air supply means.

3. The dehumidification mat (1) according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising an insulating layer (6) arranged between the electric heating layer (2) and the outer layer (5).

4. The dehumidification mat (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the air supply means comprises a fan.

5. The dehumidification mat (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the heating element (3) comprises a heating cable.

6. The dehumidification mat (1) according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the insulating layer (6) comprises a silicone material.

7. The dehumidification mat (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the outer layer (5) comprises a plastic material.

8. The dehumidification mat (1) according to any one of the preceding, wherein the dehumidification mat (1) is adapted for treatment of concrete.

9. A method for dehumidification of concrete using a dehumidification mat (1) according to any one of claim 1 to 8, the method comprising the steps of placing the dehumidification mat (1) on the concrete, connecting an air supply means to the clutch (7) in the dehumidification mat (1), activating the heating element (3) in the electric heating layer (2), and feeding air from the air supply means via the clutch (7) into a space (8) defined between the electric heating layer (2) and outer layer (5).