Technical Downloads
Passive Vent Flood Protection
FloodBreak designs flood protection solutions for building vents, whether above or below grade, and ground-level vent shaft openings. These horizontal vent systems and vertical vent systems use the same passive technology as our standard flood barriers.
During dry times, the vent systems stay open to allow air flow to continue as normal. When flooding occurs, the bouyant panels close automatically to prevent flood inundation.
Only panels affected by the water will close and once the floodwater recedes, the panels reopen automatically.
A Permanent, Customizable Flood Solution
Designed for long service life with minimal maintenance and field-tested in harsh, real-world conditions, these vent systems can be custom-sized to fit virtually any vent opening and can be designed to be inboard duct work, inside vent shafts or face-mounted to buildings.
New York City Transit (NYCT)
– New York City, NY
Safeguarding NYC’s Subway with FloodBreak’s Vent Protection for MTA – NYCT
Flood Protection For Wall Vents
The FloodBreak horizontal vent system (FB-HVS) is a passive automatic flood mitigation device that provides 24/7 protection with minimal airflow disruption for vulnerable fan plants, vents, ducts and window openings, whether above or below grade.
The device is a single or series of buoyant flood panels enclosed within an aluminum box and shelf structure. The panel lies in the rest position unless flooding occurs. Only panels affected by the water will rise – not every panel will deploy during a flood.
The wiper seals stop the water from going around the deployed panels. The shelves drain through automatically. There is no additional drainage required to clear.
The FloodBreak horizontal vent system is designed to meet loading and airflow reduction requirements. Each unit is custom-sized to the exact needs of our customers. Installation is simple and the devices provide passive flood protection with minimal maintenance for decades.
Designed for long service life with minimal maintenance and field-tested in harsh, real-world conditions, these vent flood gates can be custom-sized to fit virtually any vent opening and can be designed to be inboard duct work, inside vent shafts or face-mounted to buildings.
Passive Flood Protection-Vertical Vents (FB-VVS)
MTA – NYCT Flash Flood MCD’s
In 2008, NYCT asked FloodBreak to help solve a flood challenge – vertical subway street vents vulnerable to flash floods. The first FloodBreak passive automatic vent shaft system units were installed in 2010 in Brooklyn & Queens, NY.
A decade later, the MTA tested them again. They operated as intended.
These MCDs continue to be installed in areas vulnerable to flash flooding around the city, particularly difficult to reach locations. Despite being designed specifically for the MTA – NYCT, FloodBreak’s vertical vent system (FB-VVS) can protect vulnerable underground vents from flooding anywhere in the world. Like all FloodBreak flood protection systems, they are custom built to fit the exact dimension requirements of any project.
FloodBreak designed a passive automatic vent shaft system to protect the MTA subway vent shafts against flash flooding. The system has a simple installation – each unit can be dropped into positioning within the vent. No anchoring is required, they are gravity hung on an embedded angle fram beneath the grating.
The passive system automatically seals during flood events and reopens when the water has receded. All seals & mechanisms utilize the same materials and technology as our flood barriers. They are built and designed to provide flood protection for decades with minimal maintenance and no training required.
These vent units are self clearing. There is a weep hole at the bottom of each unit. This hole controls water flow to the existing pump system. Shortly after a flood, these units will reopen and resume normal airflow.
