As seen on BBC Rip Off Britain | Flood Expertise

Surface water flooding, pumps, and why awareness matters

Surface water flooding is one of the fastest growing risks facing UK homes and businesses, and it has just had a national spotlight shone on it. Flood and Water Pumps is proud to have helped raise awareness of flood risk on a recent edition of BBC Rip Off Britain, alongside Gloria Hunniford.

Our company was founded by Simon Crowther, a Civil Engineer and the founder of the wider FPS Group, who appeared on the programme as a Flood Risk Advisor. The piece focused on surface water flooding, why people should check (and properly understand) their flood risk, and the very real impact flooding has on those affected. We are the water pump arm of the group, set up to make high quality pumping equipment readily available to both residential and commercial users, with the technical expertise and service to back it up.

Flooding is increasing, and the response needs to keep pace

The figures speak for themselves. Surface water flooding has been upgraded in the National Risk Register and now sits alongside river and coastal flooding as one of the highest environmental risks in England. Climate change is driving shorter, more intense bursts of rainfall, and many of the areas now affected have never flooded before.

For property owners, that means two things.

• First, check your flood risk, even if you have never flooded.
• Second, make sure you have the right equipment in place to respond when water does arrive. Build Back Better schemes increasingly recognise that property flood resilience (PFR) goes hand in hand with the ability to remove water quickly and safely once it has entered, or threatens to enter, a property.

Where pumps fit into property flood resilience

Pumps are a core part of any sensible flood resilience strategy. Our property flood resilience pump range covers the equipment most commonly specified by surveyors and consultants for residential PFR schemes.

Two of our specialisms within the wider range of drainage are:

• Puddle pumps, designed to remove standing water down to very low levels, ideal for the kind of shallow but damaging surface water flooding seen in driveways, yards, basements and outbuildings.
• Sewage pumps, for situations where foul water and solids need to be moved, including basement bathrooms, below-ground installations and commercial sites.

Introducing the EVAK Residox range

In direct response to the rise in surface water flooding, we have introduced a new automatic puddle pump line. The EVAK Residox range brings together automatic operation with the ability to pump down to very low levels, using a crab float switch that allows the pump to keep working long after a conventional float would have switched off.

Two models are available:

• The EVAK Residox 400 Automatic Puddle Pump for typical residential and light commercial applications.
• The EVAK Residox 750 Powerful Automatic Puddle Pump for higher flow rates and more demanding sites.

For surface water flooding, where puddles can sit at the threshold of a property and slowly cause damage, the combination of automatic operation and low-level pumping makes a real difference. We go into this in our guide to pumping water away automatically at floor level.

Pumps are not just for flooding

It is worth saying clearly: water pumps are not only for flood resilience. We supply pumps for a wide range of everyday and specialist uses, and we are well known as a stockist of leading brands. Our Plastica pump range and our swimming pool pump collection are good examples, both popular with installers and homeowners across the UK. Whether the application is keeping a pool circulating or keeping a basement dry, the same principles apply: choose the right pump for the job, install it properly, and buy from a supplier that understands the equipment.

Residential and commercial, supported from Nottingham

We supply both residential and commercial customers, from individual homeowners protecting a single property to contractors, facilities teams and consultants specifying pumps across multiple sites. In fact, we have helped more than 20,000 customers find the right pump. Stock is held at our Nottingham warehouse, which keeps lead times short for UK customers and allows us to offer the kind of practical, knowledgeable service that buying from a generic online retailer simply cannot match.

Raising awareness, one conversation at a time

The Rip Off Britain piece was, at its heart, about awareness. Too many people only think about flood risk after they have been flooded, and by then the cost (financial, practical and emotional) is already significant. If a national TV appearance prompts even a small number of households to check their risk, plan their resilience and get the right equipment in place, that is time well spent.

If you would like advice on which pump is right for your property or project, our team is here to help. Browse the PFR pump range, the new EVAK Residox range, or get in touch directly.