Gaskets form flood seal

StormMeister, has developed a flood door system, which uses the pressure of the flood water itself on gaskets to create a watertight seal.

An evolution of StormMeister’s Active Flood Sealing system, its new solution extruded by Extrudaseal can be applied during manufacture, eliminating any requirement for any specialist on-site installation.

Malcolm Snape, managing director of StormMeister, said: “Flood door designs traditionally rely on the compression of the door gasket to form a seal against water. This is achieved through the addition of extra locking points.

“The problem is that this can make operation difficult, requiring an element of force to compress the gasket using the handle, something which can make everyday operation problematic.

“Our patented Active Flood Sealing System exploits the pressure created by the flood water to form a seal, with just two extra locking points and without compromising operation and day-to-day use.”

Developed in partnership with Lancaster University, the StormMeister system for inward opening doors employs complex single multi-chamber gasket to create a watertight seal.

This allows flood water to pass through an outerframe gasket and then into a water chamber. As the water chamber floods, an expansion chamber is compressed – in effect using the pressure of the flood water itself to create a seal.

The StormMeister flood sealing system is available for use with Rehau profiles. However, subject to licencing agreement by patent holders StormMeister and its existing licencees, the same principles have potential application to other PVCU systems.

Fully compliant with PAS1188, it’s been fully tested to withstand water up to a depth of 600mm for 48 hours.

The wettest ever December saw 16,000 properties hit by flooding at the end of 2015, with northern and western parts of the UK registering more than double the average rainfall. According to accountancy firm KPMG, the loss of property and the disruption caused by Storm Desmond collectively cost more than £5bn.

In 2007 when a similar pattern of flooding hit, total insured claims were £3.2bn. At the same time, housebuilders in the UK build an average of 10,000 homes a year on floodplains.