Although reasonably effective, this approach is noisy and can also blow dust and debris around. This makes it very unpopular with people who may have to occupy their homes or business premises whilst this is going on. It can take several weeks to dry out a flooded home using these techniques and in areas like fitted kitchens it’s very difficult to dry behind and under the units.

Two engineers working in the water damage restoration business, Jack and David Elliott, reasoned that there had to be a better way. After many experiments they came up with a device that could put the air where it was needed, but with much less noise and disruption. Even better, they discovered that it reduced overall drying times by up to 50%. They christened their device the Direct Air Dryer.

The key to the design is to distribute precise amounts of turbulent air all over the damp areas. Too much and it just blows around ineffectively. Too little and it doesn’t dry quickly enough. The Direct Air Dryer or DAD system combines a series of intricate air distribution channels matched to carefully sized outlet vents to achieve the necessary effect. These are implemented in a tough reinforced PVC material that is rugged enough to be used almost anywhere. This type of construction means that the system can be implemented in a wide range of shapes and sizes to suit any drying problem. These DAD mats can be linked to standard industry air movers to make them more efficient. There’s even a system called ‘The Octopus’ which follows its namesake in having multiple tentacles that can be fed under floors and behind fitted units with the minimum of structural disruption.

Double sided versions of the mats can be used to dry out carpets and floors simultaneously and they can also be hung on walls or fed into cavities to dry out otherwise unreachable parts of a building.

After the Elliotts developed their original prototype they were unsure how to go about protecting their idea or getting it to market. That’s when they approached TBBplc and one of our Patent Attorneys helped them submit, and eventually get, a Patent for their idea. We also helped to find the best way of getting the idea to market. At this stage no-one knew whether the idea would really work in practice, so trials were carried out in South Wales in a number of flooded properties. The result was a great success technically and after a few minor modifications based on the experience, designs were finalised. The company 'Direct Air Dryers Limited' was created in late 2005.