FAQs

Do your flood protection products have the BSI Kitemark?

Yes. The Door Panels and Airbrick Covers have been awarded the Kitemark certification for BSI specification PAS 1188-1:2009 Flood Protection Products for Building Apertures, Licensee Number KM 562762. (There is no Kitemark specification for the Toilet Panseal.)The Kitemark is Floodtite Systems’ commitment towards maintaining the highest possible standards. It is your assurance that the factory quality systems are systematically assessed and sample products are regularly subjected to rigorous, independent testing to ensure that they comply with stringent standards for safety, performance and reliability.

How do I find out if I’m at risk of flooding?

You can do this by looking at the Environment Agency flood map on their website www.environment-agency.gov.uk. This is not the whole story however. This map shows areas at risk from coastal and river flooding. Due to global warming and other factors, our weather systems are changing. It does not provide information on flood depth, speed or volume of flow.It doesn’t show flooding from other sources, such as groundwater, direct runoff from fields, or overflowing sewers. The patterns of rainfall are changing and no one is yet able to predict these pattern changes. Rainfall deluges are now increasingly common leading to ‘flash floods’ and overworked sewage and drainage systems.
It is impossible to predict when or where these will happen. This means that just because you are on the side of a hill you are not immune to the possibility of sewage backflow flooding up through drains and toilets or of flooding via the rapid rise in the water table or ground water. Many insurance policies do not cover flooding from changes in the water table of groundwater movements.

Doesn’t my home insurance provide sufficient flood protection?

It is vital to have both buildings and contents insurance, and ideally this will at least repay the cost of building repairs and contents replacement, following flooding. But any amount of insurance will not protect you against:

the distress or inconvenience caused by being in temporary accommodation for lengthy periods
the permanent loss of treasured possessions
a potential fall in the value of your home
a future rise in insurance premiums because of your claims history and your own failure to mitigate the loss by protecting your home from flood damage

Even so, can’t I just rely on my buildings insurance to pay?

There is no guarantee that insurance companies will continue to cover flood affected property. There is ongoing discussion between the Association of British Insurers (ABI) and the Government and there is increasing risk that insurance companies will simply refuse cover on property in some areas – or at least significantly raise premiums for affected properties. See www.abi.org.uk for more information.

Won’t sandbags provide the same flood protection as a door panel?

The National Flood Forum does not promote the use of sandbags. They are seen nowadays as old technology. They will allow water seepage; they are heavy and cumbersome to use and they become contaminated as soon as they are wet with untreated water from overflowing sewers and rivers. Once they are contaminated they cannot simply be thrown away; they become hazardous waste and need a specialist disposal company to remove them.

Do you sell flood products for larger openings such as garage or patio doors?

Yes. We can supply a system for these. Please email us for information or a specific quotation.

What about my car?

You can protect your car by installing a flood panel for your garage door (email us for a quotation), or you can simply leave it on higher ground for the duration of the flood.

Are your flood protection products guaranteed?

Our products have a 12 month manufacturers warranty against defective materials – see our Terms and Conditions. We obviously can’t provide a guarantee against ineffective performance, as this is dependent upon the competence of the installer.

Who will fit these for me?

Most people have a handyman or local builder who will fit these items for you. We can also arrange fitting for you. Please contact the office on 0208 442 0872 for further information or email us at sales@floodtite.com .The process entails fitting to the doorway the fixing frame for the Door Panel and drilling anchor plugs into the brickwork for the Airbrick Cover. Once this initial installation is complete any person will be able to fit the Door Panel and Airbrick Cover in a matter of minutes when a flood event is imminent. The Toilet ‘Panseal’ can be fitted by any person with a few squeezes from an air pump.