To properly start this off… who am I, and why should you care about my thoughts on this piece of equipment? My name is Jason, and I’m an IICRC Master Certified Technician with over 15 years of experience in the mitigation and restoration industry. Before that, I was in law enforcement, and I coached lacrosse. I’m sharing this with you hoping that my personality comes through in the text. I’m a no-nonsense kind of guy who lives for efficiency and quality of work. So, when a manufacturer of equipment makes a piece of gear that can simplify my life, I like to share it with everyone—especially my competitors. While I enjoy fixing their mistakes (it’s just easy money), I can’t do everything myself, and I need more (me + golf) or (me + fishing) time!
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What is DBK Drymatic Targeted Heat Drying?
According to us.drymatic.com, Targeted Heat Drying (or Thermal Energy Drying) is the most cost-effective and efficient method of restoring water damaged structures back to their pre-loss conditions. The Drymatic System uses controlled heat to energize the affected materials, increasing the vapor pressure of the wet structure, and speeding up the process of evaporation. Once the water is removed from the structure and moved into the ambient air, the Drymatic System can then purge the building of wet air and replace it with fresh unaffected air.
Drymatic technology is designed to deliver hot, dry air to the water held within the structure, in a safe and controlled way.
I know not everyone reading this is not going to understand that. So, for the “knuckleheads” lost in thought at this very moment – (I’ll type this part out slowly, and we can say it together) it makes “moisty-moisty” very dry quickly, save boss man big bucks, and lets the propriety owner move back into the space quicker. Everyone happy! Â
On The Job Performance:Â Â
My guys and I went to a current loss and asked the homeowners permission to use his home to record a video of this product for promotional use. Everyone on the team was so pumped that we did a high five.
We went, we set up, the marketing guy got lost so we waited, we got the video, we watched the video, and it was boring. But isn’t that what we want? Simple, to the point, and as efficient as possible? It’s not like it has dance lights built in, but that may not be a bad option – just putting that out there.
We included the unboxing and set-up clips in the video recap of this blog, we did our best to spice it up for you — but it’s windbags. You’re going to watch my team, and I set up windbags, and press the on button.  Â
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The Job:
Single-Family Home | New Jersey | Second-floor toilet overflowed and ran for several hours causing water damage throughout multiple levels of the home.
The Damage:Â Â
- Water originating from the 2nd floor hall bathroom affecting hardwood flooring, drywall, and MDF base trim on the 2nd floor.
- Drywall ceilings and walls, insulation, laminated cabinetry, prefinished engineered wood flooring and ceramic tile flooring, and backsplash on the main level.
- Drywall ceiling and walls, cabinetry, laminated countertops, ceramic tile flooring in basement.
Our goal was to dry the bathroom in place, remove the buckled and severely cupped hardwood floor (to properly dry the subfloor), and remove the base trim. (fast and efficient removal of wet materials by either drying or demo greatly reduces the chance of secondary damage like microbial growth, and insect infestation)
The main level scope is the removal of affected drywall, and insulation, cabinetry, and wood flooring.
Basement scope remove affected drywall and cabinetry and dry tile and framing in place.
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First Impressions
The Drymatic System is not a complex hard to understand method of drying. It takes the primary principles of drying wet materials (directed warm dry air to increase evaporation to produce dry materials) and simplifies the process. WHAT A CONCEPT!! The unit consists of nylon mats that self-inflate /deflate via an air mover. The air mover connects to the boost bar which is a passive heater. The air mats have micro perforations underneath which direct warm dry air to the affected material.
I have been following Drymatic products for a few years and have always been intrigued by how simple they are used. The multiple kits offered by the company all came included in a roller-style duffle bag no larger than an airport carry-on bag. All items come stored in separate nylon storage bags within the duffle and are labeled clearly so you know what to unpack. The set-up process of the mats, connectors, and boost bar is so simple a child could manage this with no worries. Packing up the equipment was just as easy.
Does it do the thing it’s supposed to do?
This product does not disappoint. This simple and direct method of advanced drying applies to so many instances of the remediation process. Injected drying is not new to the industry, but this process of completing the task makes it almost foolproof. The fact that the heater works efficiently on a single 110V line makes this invaluable. No more looking for multiple dedicated lines for heaters, or a 220V line hoping you have the proper cord that will fit. Saving time = saving money.
So yes, this does the thing it’s supposed to do, and it does it well.Â
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Ease of Use
If you can figure out Velcro, you got this! If not, maybe try naptime now?
Some simple job planning and simple measurements are all that’s required to set up a complete dry chamber/area. When direct drying it is not necessary that 100% of the material be covered by the application. Air travels as freely as water. When drying a ceramic tile kitchen floor with an island in the center and some base cabinetry, we placed the mats around the island between the cabinetry and the direct heat will generate beyond the area of the mats alone.
For added efficiency, we may duct a dehumidifier into the air mover which adds energy (dehumidified hot air) into the drying system. There is no need to tent, tape, or weigh down the drying mats. (greatly reducing overall costs and the possibility of damaging the finish of some wood floors)
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Pack In/OutÂ
Set up and take down are a snap. While the mats self-inflate, I was impressed with the deflating process, especially with the wall mats. When the unit is switched off the mat deflates onto itself and follows the original folding position. From there you just fold it again and roll it up into the labeled bag from which it shipped in. Similar to rolling up a sleeping bag but, much easier. There is no tape to remove, no poly tenting to take down, and no garbage that accompanies the usual containment or tenting process. There is no learning curve to this system.
I’ve seen many other contractors set up specialized drying equipment incorrectly, not efficiently, and cause more harm than good to the materials in need of remediation. This results in unpaid equipment charges, unnecessary demolition, added stress and aggravation for the homeowner, and a lack of trust with the insurance carrier. If you can’t figure this system out maybe the remediation industry is not for you. This system does not require a degree in Rocket Science, or Jet Engine Propulsion, just a little bit of common sense and you’ll be a difference maker in no time.
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Closing Thoughts and Overall Rating
Drymatic versatile drying system offers the user a simple yet efficient means to a desired outcome. Its proven time and space-saving design, ease of operation, and cost-effective pricing make it a great investment for anyone in the industry looking to improve their ability to dry water-damaged building materials in an effective but noninvasive manner.
Product Rating: 6 out of 6Â Â
Rating of 1-3 (does not get a written or video review)
1 – Did not work – Did not function – QC issueÂ
2- Worked, but not worth the investment.Â
3- Worked, but the learning curve would slow us down.
Rating of 4-6
4- Worked Well | It’s better than what I use now, so when it’s time, this is my new “go-to”.Â
5- Worked Well & Saved Time | It’s better than the old stuff and you can get home for dinner!
6- Where Have You Been My Whole Life | A New Standard.
For more info on Drymatic Targeted Heat Drying, contact: Caleb Adams | DBK USA Inc. 1 (864) 804-4178 | Spartanburg, SC 29303
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS of WORKING WITH PAUL DAVIS?
INSURANCE AGENT BENEFITS | Assign a ClaimÂ
- Cost savings
- Improved productivity
- Complete documentation to help you close claims faster
- Satisfied customers
POLICY HOLDER BENEFITS | Assign a ClaimÂ
- Fast response
- Less disruption
- Quality repairs
- Insurance claims assistance
Here at Paul Davis, we use the latest technology and techniques to repair and restore the damage caused by fire & smoke damage. We treat contents such as carpets, art, clothing, drapery, furniture, and other items using sophisticated ozone equipment and thoroughly remove the stains and odors associated with smoke and other fire-related damage.
All Paul Davis offices are certified in Applied Structural Drying (ASD). ASD maximizes the removal of water from building materials using scientific methods and specialized equipment. This approach uses the proper combination of air movement, temperature control, humidity control and dehumidification to quickly remove moisture with little disturbance to the structure or contents. ASD allows us to save building materials (including drywall, carpets and padding) and, in most cases, dry affected areas in as few as 3 days.
