With nearly six million homes in England and Wales at serious flood risk, it is important to find out if you are living in a flood-risk area and take action to mitigate the danger. The team here at Pump Sales Direct have put together 8 simple tips to follow when it comes to preventing flood damage in the home, covering aspects from submersible pumps to home insurance policy’s.
1. Insurance
Talk to your insurer to check what damage is covered by your home insurance policy and what will be paid out. Insurers will pay for like-for-like replacement or restoring your home to its previous state. You will probably have to pay for other work yourself. Some local insurance companies and brokers offer a courtesy home visit to advise home-owners on any recommended changes they should make.
2. Home Changes
Make permanent changes to your home to reduce the risk of flood damage. This may include laying ceramic tiles on the ground floor, replacing chipboard cupboards with stainless-steel, solid wood or plastic ones, and replacing fitted carpets with rugs.
3. Outdoor Alterations
Outdoor alterations to resist flood damage include replacing wooden window frames and doors with uPVC ones. However, this may not be permitted in conservation areas, so check with the local council’s planning department. Other repairs include fitting a non-return valve at each drain and water inlet and replacing existing air vents with flood-resistant ventilation bricks.
4. Flooring
Ask your builder to raise the damp-proof course and to seal all the floors at the ground level.
5. Home Electrics
Make all home electrics safer by raising the electrical socket height to a minimum of 1.5 metres above the ground floor. Make sure that all electrical devices such as TVs are also at least 1.5 metres above the ground floor. Reduce internal flood damage to walls by using lime rather than gypsum-based plaster. Hide all valuable objects on upper floors or on shelves that are very highly mounted on the wall.
6. Submersible Pumps
Invest in a submersible pump in case of emergency. Submersible pumps from Pump Sales Direct are the most efficient method of removing flood water quickly.
7. Sandbags
When flooding is imminent, block the bottom of external doors with sandbags to stop water getting into the house. Fit covers over the external air bricks. Plastic sheeting will suffice in an emergency if no better cover is available.
8. Floodline
If you are living in a flood-risk area, register at Floodline on 0345 9881188 for phone, text or email flood warnings. When the flood is imminent, make sure that all sinks and baths are firmly plugged to stop any water that backs up the outlet pipes from getting into the house. Seal around any toilets and washing machine outlets to reduce the risk of the same type of water back-up. This will also reduce the amount of time submersible pumps will require to remove any floodwater that does penetrate.
