With flood risk a growing problem in the UK, Property Flood Resilience (PFR) is a term that’s been coined to describe ways of managing flood risk at a property level.
This usually focuses on literal property-level measures, things like flood barriers on doors, repointing and sealing entry points, internal puddle pumps, and the use of resilient materials that can be cleaned down and reused after a flood.
In certain cases, where ground conditions allow, perimeter-wide flood defence schemes can be a popular and effective way of keeping water out altogether.
These systems rely on a solid understanding of:
They often include the construction of flood walls or bunds designed to hold water back around the boundary of a property.
It’s important to note that with these types of schemes, water pumps are absolutely essential.
Without drainage and pumping on the dry side of the defence, water will eventually build up and equalise on both sides of the wall.
Here’s why:
Normally, the water table sits well below ground level, keeping the surface dry. During a flood, however, several feet of water can accumulate on the wet side, saturating the soil. The resulting water pressure forces water through the ground towards the dry side, a process known as seepage.
The rate of seepage depends on soil type, sand allows faster flow, whereas clay slows it down, but in all cases, without a pump to manage it, water levels will eventually balance.
Anyone who’s experienced flooding will know just how stressful it can be, from the disruption and mess to the rush of activity when a flood warning is issued: installing barriers, lifting furniture, moving valuables, sometimes with very little notice.
That’s why reducing manual intervention is such a key part of effective resilience. Anything that can run automatically, such as an automatic sump or surface water pump, makes a huge difference during those moments.
One such setup was for a customer who purchased an Iguazu Sump 635 Packaged Pump Station, fitted with an AMA Drainer 301 Automatic Submersible Water Pump 230v.
The chamber was connected to a channel drain positioned behind a flood barrier to capture any leakage. It was also perforated and surrounded by gravel, so under normal rainfall conditions it acted as a soakaway.
During a flood, however, when water levels rose, the automatic pump activated and discharged the water to the safe side of the flood barrier.
The sump and pump were supplied as a “plug and play” installation-ready kit, complete with a non-return valve and a 230V AMA Drainer 301, offering a flow rate of 166 litres per minute, adequate for this situation.
A higher-powered pump wasn’t suitable, as it would have switched on and off too frequently, leading to premature wear or failure.
When installing a sump chamber, it’s important to surround the base lip with concrete to prevent flotation.
Below are images of the system both being installed and operating, showing just how discreet it looks once completed, and how well it performed in practice.
The items above can be found here:
Hose Clip: https://floodandwaterpumps.co.uk/products/hose-clips
Suction Delivery Hose: https://floodandwaterpumps.co.uk/products/suction-delivery-hose-32mm
Hose tail: https://floodandwaterpumps.co.uk/products/hose-tail-c-w-female-bsp-swivel
If you’d like to learn more about our range of sump pumps and packaged pump stations, visit our Packaged Pump Stations page to explore the options available and purchase yours.
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