This summer, it’s the sizzling heat grabbing the current news cycle. Yet for most of May, all the attention focused on the historic flooding that ravaged most of the state of Tennessee. The nation saw images of the utter devastation from the central and eastern regions of the state, where recognizable landmarks such as the Grand Ole Opry and the Country Music Hall of Fame stole the headlines.

However, Aaron Foreman and crews for Global Disaster Recovery USA, Inc. (GDR USA) found themselves restoring many flooded structures around the Memphis area in western Tennessee. Headquartered in Port Charlotte, FL, GDR USA is a leading national restoration services provider, offering its expertise in a variety of ways.

“In some cases, we’ll restore buildings as Global Disaster Recovery USA,” says Aaron Foreman, director of operations for GDR USA. “We’ll also work as a restoration subcontractor to other companies, and we’ll rent equipment to other companies for restoration work. It just depends on how we can best serve the customer.”

Operating at the national level, GDR USA has nearly every restoration tool available on the market at its disposal, so it can handle virtually any application. Arguably one of the most effective drying tools in its arsenal is the Wacker Neuson Dryvex™ MC5200 open drying system. “There are a lot of applications where a system like Dryvex can be used,” says Foreman.

Under Floodwater

Some of the most devastating flooding occurred at the Millington Naval Base in Millington, TN. Spill water from a dam to the north resulted in unprecedented flooding at the military base.

Nearly every base building – including offices and military housing units – was submerged with up to 4 ft (1.2 m) of floodwater. At one point, rescue efforts required nearly two dozen boats in the water, helping to take families from housing to dry land.

With operations coming to a grinding halt, ripple effects from the flooding were felt well beyond the naval base. When the waters receded in early May, pressure was on GDR USA’s crews to quickly dry office structures, so naval operations could resume.

GDR USA relied on many tools, including the MC5200 and 5,000- and 6,000-CFM desiccant drying systems, to restore nearly 30 large buildings at the base. Crews used the MC5200 on several structures with sizes ranging up to 30,000 ft² (2787 m²), where a short drying cycle was of the essence. “We had only three to four days to dry those buildings, and the higher heat generated by the Dryvex™ allows for more moisture release than with the desiccants,” says Foreman.

The Dryvex™ MC5200 from Wacker Neuson Climate Technology heat conditions outside air to a 3 to 15% relative humidity. This conditioned air is pumped into a building via a 5,200 CFM supply blower. While supply air temperature for a desiccant reaches only 100° to 115° F (43.3° to 46.1° C), the MC5200 introduces heated air into the structure. Controlled by the machine’s inline thermostat, interior structure temperatures can be adjusted up to 125° F (51.7° C) to remove more moisture faster. A 4,100 CFM extraction blower removes the moisture laden air from the buildings to enhance the drying process.

Tech Tip: Pinpoint Drying

As is common with a typical application, GDR USA runs the MC5200’s supply and extraction ducts to the building. However, the team also runs a series of layflat ductwork inside the structure, a technique more common in desiccant applications. According to Foreman, this effective solution enables the team to focus drying efforts with pinpoint layflat placements.

For the office and college buildings at the Millington Naval Base, workers positioned a primary layflat duct down the main hallway. They then cut directional heating tubes into the main duct to branch into the offices. Since using higher heat to expedite the heating process, GDR USA’s crews would monitor temperature and humidity levels at specific intervals and write the readings directly onto the ducts.

Dryvex™ delivered for GDR USA and quickly dried the structures to minimize downtime of office personnel and base operations. Foreman offers this example of just how effective it is to introduce heat into the drying process. “If a building were to take three days to dry using a 5,000 CFM desiccant drying system, equipment such as the Dryvex™ will cut up to one day off the drying time.”

For a more in-depth discussion on the number of ways Dryvex™ can save you money on your next restoration application, read “Dryvex™ Extra: The true costs of drying with Dryvex™ vs. Desiccant”

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