Installer defends own property against floods - and rising insurance

An experienced installer of flood defence products has fitted door and window barriers from Flexseal’s Floodsave range to his own house adjacent to the River Aire in Leeds. And his confidence in the products is so high that he no longer insures the property against flooding.

“Our insurer increased our flood insurance premium to a whopping £1,800 per year – and we’d never even been flooded!” explained Martin Hughes, Director of Leeds-based Yorkshire Dampcourse Limited. “The property’s location, along with the increasing frequency of flood events, was the reason cited for the sudden hike in cost. But working in the industry, I knew that we could protect the house from flooding for a reasonable cost rather than paying the new insurance premium level.”

Martin and his team surveyed the house to draw up the optimal package for flood protection, as they would for any customer. Three flood barriers, from the Floodsave range of products supplied by Flexseal, were installed to cover the window and door openings closest to the river. Around each frame, any small gaps where water might enter were sealed to improve water resistance.

The barrier fixings were installed and tested. Different fixings were used as appropriate, including retention bars for the panel across the window, but all are unobtrusive when the panels are not fitted. The barriers are then quickly secured into position when a flood event is anticipated. Martin is registered with the Environment Agency’s flood warning service so that he receives notice if a flood event is expected in the area and can respond by fitting the barriers into place. The panels, when not fitted, are stored in an external shed nearby.

Each flood barrier incorporates a foam surround which is compressed against the adjacent masonry as the fixings are tightened, to form a seal. Bespoke barriers were made to order for this project, for an exact fit, although a range of Floodsave standard barrier sizes is available from builders’ merchants. The range can accommodate different sizes of windows and doors, as well as large panels which cover the full width of patio doors or garage openings.

The total installed cost of the flood protection scheme was less than paying a year and a half’s insurance premiums. “I can be confident that the house is well-protected at a fraction of the cost of flood insurance,” stated Martin. “Effectively, we self-insure by saving some of the money we would have paid out in insurance premiums. We can then use that ‘flood fund’ to update flood defences if necessary or repair any unprotected damage, for example to the garden, should we ever experience a flood.”

Flexseal’s Floodsave range of products includes intelligent air bricks, non-return valves and StoneGuard masonry coating, as well as the door and window barriers used in this application. All the details can be found at www.floodsave.co.uk. For more information or advice about flood defence installation, or other property-related water or damp issues, please visit www.yorkshiredampcourse.co.uk.

-ENDS-

PHOTOCAPTIONS:

Flood barriers were fitted to the riverside windows and doors.

A range of sizes is available, to suit windows, standard doors, patio doors and garage entrances.

NOTES TO EDITOR:

Established in 1988 in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, Flexseal leads the UK market in the design, manufacture and assembly of flexible couplings for the repair of sewer and drainage pipes. Following considerable growth in the late 1990’s across domestic and international markets, the company acquired a new state of the art purpose built production facility in Wombwell, Barnsley. Acquired by the US Fernco group of companies in 2004, Flexseal is today part of a global group that supplies the most comprehensive range of flexible couplings in the world. Today, the Flexseal brand is synonymous with the highest quality products and services available throughout the industry, with all products being manufactured and tested to consistently meet UK and International approvals. Flexseal is sister company to Source One Environmental, formerly known as Fernco Environmental, a global leader providing innovative technologies for the infrastructure rehabilitation and water management markets.

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