Passive Flood Vents

FloodBreak designs flood protection solutions for building vents, whether above or below grade, and ground-level vent shaft openings. These vents use the same passive technology as our flood barriers.

During dry times, the vent systems allow air flow to continue as normal. When a flooding occurs, the panels close to prevent flood inundation.

Flood Protection For Wall Vents: The FloodBreak VSL

The FloodBreak Louvered Vent Panel system (FB-VSL) 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 louvered flood panels enclosed within an aluminum box and shelf structure. The panel lies in 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 VSL 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.

FloodBreak VSL flood panels within the unit

Multiple Applications

A Permanent, Customizable Flood Solution

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.

Connects To Duct Work – Wet or Dry Side

Passive Flood Vent Systems - The Floodbreak VSS

The FloodBreak VSS is our passive automatic vent shaft system that was initially designed 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 to operate as designed.

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.

See images of both solutions below.

MTA - Flash Flood MCD's

The very first FloodBreak passive automatic vent system units were installed in 2010 in Brooklyn, NY.

8 years later, all of these units were tested by the MTA. All operated as intended.

These MCDs continue to be installed in areas vulnerable to flash flooding around the city. Despite being designed specifically for one project, FloodBreak’s VSS 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.