Case Study: DOFF and Dry Ice Blasting Used for Fire Restoration Project

Technique Used: DOFF and Dry Ice Blasting

Location: London, Ontario

Service: Fire Restoration

Fires quickly spread from one part of the house to another and require non-destructive cleaning methods that are safe for the environment and effective on a wide variety of surface substrates. Wickens worked on a fire restoration project for a client in London, Ontario, that required both DOFF and dry ice blasting cleaning techniques to meet those criteria.

The Situation

The fire started in the residence’s attached garage and was so intense that it burnt through the doors and along the front of the garage. The fire damage occurred all the way around the exterior perimeter of the garage and part of the house to the soffit and facia (roof overhang).

The Solution

Wickens utilized DOFF cleaning to remediate the fire damage on the brick outside, cleaning it to its pre-fire condition. DOFF is a cleaning system that uses super-heated water but no pressure. This method does not use any harmful chemicals and removes the contaminants without causing any damage to the masonry substrate.

Where the intense heat stained some of the bricks beyond just cleaning, the DOFF system was able to render the bricks clean enough to enable masonry tinting to match the original brick.

The smoke damage inside the garage, along the roof overhang, under the soffit and fascia and in the attic were treated using dry ice blasting.

Dry ice blasting uses solid CO2 pellets as a blast media in a process that looks like sand blasting. On impact, we have the kinetic energy of a solid striking a solid and the instant sublimation of the dry ice which expands to 400 times its volume. This creates an impact-flush-impact-flush wave which gives us its non-destructive results. The contaminants are removed, and the CO2 is absorbed harmlessly back into the atmosphere.

Following a complete cleaning with dry ice, the structural framing and sheathing in the attic was sealed with a clear shellac to lock in any residual odours to restore it to its pre-fire aesthetic.

The Result

The entire project was completed within two weeks.

Wickens successfully restored the house’s damaged areas to their pre-fire condition using cleaning techniques that were safe for the environment for the structural elements of the house and, ultimately, for the residents.

Wickens Dry ice Blasting tackles the toughest jobs across Ontario, offering fire restoration, mould remediation, asbestos abatement, lead paint abatement, and more. Contact us today for a consultation or emergency service.