Raising awareness during Flood Action Week
During Flood Action Week, we saw the launch of the latest Floodmobile. Created by Flood Re and BeFloodReady, it helps people understand how to keep flood water out of their homes and what to do if it gets in.
Flood Re and JBA Risk Management recently found that almost three quarters of the UK's housing stock, around 21.8 million homes, are suitable for Property Flood Resilience measures. The Floodmobile brings those measures to life, showcasing flood barriers, flood doors, non-return valves and puddle pumps. It lets people see and touch the products that can make all the difference when a flood hits, and it raises awareness by touring the UK and visiting flood prone areas.
At floodandwaterpumps.co.uk we are proud to support the Floodmobile project, and even prouder to see the Stream SPK530 Puddle Pump featured onboard.
Why the Floodmobile matters
On board the Floodmobile you will likely meet Mary Dhonau OBE, an avid flood campaigner who has spent the last 25 years helping raise awareness of flood risk and campaigning for better management of flood risk at a property level. She has spent years helping communities understand flood risk and how to recover from it. The Floodmobile travels to communities that have experienced flooding and shows, in a very real way, what a resilient home looks like.
It is one thing to read advice online or see a checklist of measures. It is another to walk through a mock home fitted with flood doors, pumps and raised electrics and imagine how much stress and cost those changes could save. That experience can change how people think about flood preparation.
Why a puddle pump belongs in every flood toolkit
When a property floods, time matters. We have seen too many people rush out to buy a standard water pump, only to realise it will not work unless there is a good amount of standing water. They end up digging holes in a panic to make it deep enough or, worse, burn out the pump. If you are new to this type of pump, our guide to what a puddle pump is explains how they differ from a standard submersible.
That is where a puddle pump makes all the difference. The Stream SPK530 can remove water down to just 1mm in depth. It is compact, powerful and reliable. Available in both 230V and 110V, it runs when powered on and stops when switched off. It is straightforward to use, built to last, and backed by a 3 year warranty.
It can be used indoors or outdoors and runs efficiently even with very little water present. It is easy to move, easy to store and designed to work hard. The 0.48kW motor delivers a maximum flow of around 170 litres per minute and a maximum head of 11 metres, which is plenty for clearing water away from a property and discharging it to a drain or a lower point.
The discharge connector can be rotated to suit your setup, so you can have the hose outlet horizontal or vertical depending on your hose and the direction you need to pump the water. It takes only a minute to adjust by removing the two silver bolts, turning the discharge plate and refitting them. That flexibility helps to reduce kinking and maintain a strong, consistent flow. To see how the SPK530 compares with other low level pumps, read our Top 5 puddle pumps.
For many homeowners, using the right puddle pump can be the difference between a quick clean up and months of upheaval.
Of course, a small puddle pump will not be the silver bullet for every situation, but it is an essential part of any flood resilience toolkit. It works well alongside other measures: a puddle pump sited behind a barrier clears the seepage that always finds its way through, as we explain in why flood barriers still need water pumps. For larger or more complex projects, where permanent walls, new drainage systems or natural flood management solutions are required, our sister company FPS Environmental can help. They are a team of consulting engineers who assess flood risk, design mitigation measures and prepare full strategies for developments and placemaking, so resilience is built in from the start rather than added as an afterthought.
Flood Re
Flood Re, a significant funder of the Floodmobile, is a joint initiative between the Government and the insurance industry. Its mission is to keep flood insurance affordable for properties that are most at risk. The scheme launched in 2016 and is due to run until 2039. The long term goal is for the market to become self-sustaining, so flood insurance premiums can remain fair without government intervention. To achieve that, homes must become more flood resilient now, so future claims are reduced. That is where Property Flood Resilience measures come in, and puddle pumps play a small but important part in that story.
Helping drive change
At floodandwaterpumps.co.uk we are not just a pump retailer. We are part of Flood Protection Solutions Ltd, and since 2012 we have been working to make the UK more resilient to flooding. In that time we have helped more than 20,000 customers find the right pump for their property. From the beginning we have aimed to lead the industry in quality and service, whether through the best pumps available, the best advice, or the accessibility of equipment. The Stream SPK530 Puddle Pump is available on next day delivery, or same day click and collect from our Nottinghamshire warehouse.
Industry leading pumps. Real solutions. Better resilience.
