Safeguard shows the expert way to tackle flooding

With over 5,000,000 homes in England and Wales at risk of flooding, Safeguard Europe is introducing a simple yet definitive guide to protecting your property.

Designing for Flood Resilience and Resistance comes from the UK’s leading specialist in damp-proofing and waterproofing technology; drawing upon its 35 years of experience, the company has created several flood management systems which outline the various mechanisms in which flood water can enter a property and how to prevent it, as well as talking about the internal and external remedial works needed for habitable reinstatement.

The two main approaches to tackling flooding are water exclusion and water entry strategies, alternatively known as flood resistance and resilience respectively; this guide explains both and how to utilise them.

Resistance is attempting to exclude water, and can be used only if typical flood water depths are 600mm or less.

Beyond this depth, flood waters can inflict structural damage – and water entry, or resilience, is advised.

Resilience is the ability to recover from a flood event, and is the suggested strategy to minimise (structural) damage for flood waters over 600mm.

The difficulty in achieving complete resistance to flood waters means designing for resilience offers a more robust strategy.

Choosing the correct approach is categorised into three flood system packs that employ these strategies, or a mixture of each, to anticipate every flood scenario.

The foundation for the system is Flood System 1 Pack, which provides basic resilience by employing the company’s Dryzone Damp-Resistant Plaster and a specially designed lime-based skim coat as a flood resilient wall coating, together with a secondary chemical DPC rods installed above design flood height.

Unlike traditional gypsum plasters, these plaster and skim finishes retain their strength and dimensions under flood conditions and dry out quickly, while their alkaline content deters mould growth.

The secondary DPC is formed using Dryrod Damp-proofing Rods, while Drybase Liquid-Applied DPM should be applied to seal floors and lap the wall to just above the level of the primary DPC.

Deploying two strategies, resilience combined with basic resistance, Flood System 2 helps external walls resist flood water with Stormdry Masonry Protection Cream and Stormdry Tough Coat limiting the amount of water seeping through the walls and speeding up the drying time after a flood.

Flood System 2 incorporates all the measures in Flood System 1 – Dryzone Damp-Resistant Plaster and Dryrod Damp-proofing Rods – to ensure that the internal walls dry rapidly and can be redecorated quickly.

Flood System 3 boosts the level of protection to the internal walls by, in effect, tanking them with Drybase Tanking Slurry, a cementitious tanking product that provides waterproofing at negative pressures up to 5 bar.

Providing a ‘flood repairable option’, the guide also considers the Dryzone Express Replastering system, which can be combined with all three packs for swifter results.

Dryshield Cream, a breathable salt and mould-resistant and water-repellent cream, is applied to the walls to aid the drying out process while plasterboards are installed horizontally – for easy removal and replacement after flooding – and secured with Drygrip Adhesive, a salt and damp resistant glue.

The system allows for remedials and room reinstatement in approximately 24 hours, representing not just a substantial time-saving over more traditional methods; but also a far cleaner and more convenient approach.

Each flood pack provides CAD drawings and specifications for both the details and the complete system.

Requirements can be discussed with a flood specialist or a copy of the guide can be obtained by contacting Safeguard on 01403 210 204 or via [email protected]

Contact:

Safeguard Europe,
Redkiln Close,
Horsham,
West Sussex,
United Kingdom,
RH13 5QL

Phone: 01403 210204
Fax: 01403 217529

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