The Benefits Of Passive Flood Barriers
Flood mitigation is a daunting task.
There are dozens of variables and costs that go into creating a solid plan to protect against flood inundation.
At FloodBreak, we are the pioneers and inventors of passive automatic flood barriers back in 2001. Unlike active flood protection measures, our passive flood barriers operate without human intervention or power.
Besides this highly convenient, hands-off deployment, there are numerous other benefits of choosing passive flood barriers for your flood mitigation needs. Let’s discuss some of those benefits now.
A Permanent Flood Protection Solution
Active flood control measures can protect against floods, but they are temporary solutions. Things like sandbags and logs need to be manually placed at vulnerable points before a flood event occurs to be effective.
After the flood event has concluded, those measures must then be taken down and stored. Some may only be for one-time use and need to thrown away.
With our passive flood barriers, you get permanent flood protection. Never again do you need to worry about preparing for the upcoming flood. Our barriers are designed for long service life and will protect for decades.
Being permanent bypasses the need for continuous setup and takedown. That saves you time, money, manpower, and a lot of stress.
All FloodBreak customers rest easy at night knowing their valuable assets are protected 24/7, 365 days a year.
Protection Against Flash Floods
A massive advantage of our floodgates vs other products is protection against flash flooding. While flash floods don’t get as much media hype as hurricanes and tropical storms, they are just as dangerous if not more so due to their unpredictability.
Since 2001, flash flooding has caused an average of 88 deaths per year in the United States and over $5 billion dollars in damages.
A flash flood can happen in only a few minutes. The advanced warning is often not enough in order to properly set up and deploy active measures. The result can be complete flood inundation.
Our flood barriers are able to protect against flash flooding better than any alternative because they are permanently installed and activated passively. The barriers are already in place regardless of whether a flash flood occurs or not. There is no preparation necessary for any of our customers.
It’s worth noting that even purely automatic flood barriers could fail during a flash flood. If a flood barrier is not passive automatic, that means it still relies on some power source like electricity to deploy. If a flash flood knocks out the power, there goes your automatic flood protection.
We recommend you save yourself the worry and go with passive.
Deploy Without People Or Power
Our flood barriers are passive automatic, meaning they deploy and protect against flooding with human intervention or power. What actually causes the gates to activate, then? The floodwater itself.
Since developing passive automatic, this form of flood protection has become the standard recommended by FEMA and has been referenced in multiple FEMA case studies.
Watch this video of our founder Lou Water discuss this groundbreaking idea in his own words.
Field Tested & Proven To Protect
Since our founding in 2001, we has installed over 2,500 passive automatic flood barriers around the world. We also have a 100% successful deployment and protection rate.
No gate has ever failed to deploy in our history.
Click here to see more about our dozens of verified flood saves with photos.
Our Passive Flood Barriers Are Custom Sized
At FloodBreak, we do not have a flood barrier product line. All of our barriers are individually fabricated to meet our customer’s exact needs.
Having each barrier custom built means there is no practical size opening that we cannot protect. This applies to our vent flood protection systems as well.
The exact dimensions, lifts, materials, and architectural treating are determined on a per-project basis by our engineering team and the customer.
13′-9″ x 2′-7″ passive barrier at the Houston Galleria
6′-11″ x 5′ passive floodwall at 3 Riverway Apartment Complex
13′ x 4′ passive flood barrier at Colorado University – Boulder
Lower Cost Of Ownership
Passive flood barriers initially cost more than active measures do. This price also comes with numerous advantages to the customer, some of which we have detailed already. But just how “affordable” are active flood barriers really?
Flood panels and inflatables have a lower purchasing cost, but how much do they cost you over time? If each active barrier is good for one use and there are multiple flood events a year, what is the true cost after 10 years?
Panels and sandbags must be physically transported to and from vulnerable flood openings. This operation may need a whole crew to complete depending on the property size and vulnerability. Not to mention the mandatory annual planning and training that is required to do this effectively.
Even with training, there is still the possibility of human error.
Let’s also assume that these active measures never fail over that 10 year period and cause flood damage (something active measures often do).
How much are you really saving in the end? What about the cost to your mental health?
Our passive flood barriers are the only flood protection solution that give our customers peace of mind that their assets are protected from flooding. Once installed, there is little to no cost needed for maintenance outside of periodic inspection. Our barriers do what they are designed to do: provide the highest quality flood protection for decades.
How much is that worth?
Our Passive Solutions:
Get In Touch With Us
For more information about our installations around the world, please visit our markets page.
For any general inquiries or questions about our passive floodgates, please complete the contact form below or email us at info@floodbreak.com
More Information:
FloodBreak has revolutionized flood mitigation. No longer do you need to assign and train personnel to deploy flood barrier systems. The FloodBreak Automatic Floodgate is a permanent, passive flood control system that will deploy automatically without people or power dependency. It provides 24/7 flood protection and eliminates the risk of operations and human failure.
The FloodBreak flood barrier is designed to automatically FLOAT up, so all that is needed is floodwaters to pool under the buoyant hinged panel and the hydrostatic pressure will deploy the gates without human intervention. View how it works.
The FloodBreak automatic floodgate is actually a buoyant panel constructed of hollow aluminum extrusions. The extrusions are designed to be structural while also providing excellent flotation. More information on this technology can be found here.
There are no practical limits in height or width. You can learn more about our flood barrier sizes here.
The FloodBreak passive flood barrier system will operate normally with silt and clay suspended in the floodwater. It doesn’t impact the operation – even very muddy water will float the bouyant flood barrier. The system is designed so that debris is washed through to the pan and out the drainage pipes, including during rainstorms and other non-flood water events. Contact us to discuss the specifics on your project.
No. Since our founding in 2001, there has never been flood damage behind a properly installed passive flood barrier.
