Inside the home
FloodSax are a multi-purpose flood prevention device that will stop floodwater from getting into your home and soak up leaks, spills, drips and floods inside too.
FloodSax are vacuum-packed and are ultra thin with a large surface area so in their dry state can be put under leaking AC Units, leaking pipes, boilers, taps and Kitchen / bathroom sinks to absorb the water and prevent damage inside homes and businesses.
They can even be used inside the home by doorways, patio sliding doors, and windows ahead of a storm or hurricane.
If your placing them in the home you have 2 options
If you don’t expect your home to be susceptible to a lot of flooding e.g you don’t live next to a canal / beach and the water does not flow towards your doors (pooling several inches high) then you could use floodsax indoors instead of building a flood defense barrier outside! This will save time and even more money as you will need less Floodsax!
Open the pack of FloodSax. There are then 5 FloodSax in each pack. Take them out of the bag and remove them from the vacuum-wrapping. FloodSax look a bit like pillowcases until they come into contact with water.
Option 1 – if you know you dont have alot of water or if you’re going to be off island lay the floodsax down in their dry state along the doorway or by your patio/sliding doors! Ensure you surpass the doorway or sliding doors by at least 1 floodsax ether side to ensure water does not creep past.
If water enters your home the floodsax will activate on contact and start to absorb water and grow in size. They will inflate from 0.5” to 8” each holding up to 5.8 gallons of water.
As with any home the doorway or patio doors may not be level or in a straight line. Feel free to move the floodsax into crevices / nooks and crannies so they mold with the space.click video link
Floodsax can also be rolled up and placed into a sliding door track to absorb water and seal the track to create an even more water tight solution.
Option 2- If you know your home is expecting a lot of flood water activate the floodsax as explained in outdoor use and place them down inside your home side by side creating a barrier. Ensure to surpass the doorway by at least 1 floodsax ether side to ensure no water creeps past. If your using them along patio doors or sliding doors you can also roll floodsax up or fold in half and place them in the tracks to seal them off from water sources.
Outdoor –
How to deploy FloodSax as a flood barrier
Open the pack of FloodSax. There are then 5 FloodSax in each pack. Take them out of the bag and remove them from the vacuum-wrapping. FloodSax look a bit like pillowcases until they come into contact with water.
If you are short on time and it is raining you can immerse each floodsax in warm water for 30 seconds-1minute to start the activation process. Lay them down outside and they will keep activating when the rain or floodwater hits them until they expand to full size weighing 50llbs and increasing in size to 8” each.
If you have more time to deploy FloodSax® simply immerse the FloodSax® in 4 gallons (20 litres) of water in a large bucket or tub (even the bathtub will do). You could even use a hosepipe or, if time is really critical, use the floodwater itself.
The FloodSax® will then expand in around five minutes to weigh 20kg (44lbs). If you use warm water the FloodSax® will expand even quicker in around 3 minutes.
A special gelling polymer inside simply absorbs the water and then keeps it in the FloodSax® so it can be used for however long the emergency lasts, which could be several months.
Each row of FloodSax® will keep out approximately 6 inches of water and usually two or three rows are enough to keep floodwater out. Just lay the FloodSax® next to one another and then the row on top across the joins below to make it a firm barrier. Once FloodSax® are activated they become heavy and tough, water blasted at them through a firefighting hose won’t shift them.
Place the expanded FloodSax in tightly-packed layers to build a barrier outside your home, ensuring each row overlaps the joins on the one below in the same way that bricks do to be certain the wall is really solid.
Put a dry FloodSax inside the closed door to soak up any water that may seep through.
Flooding through sewage pipes can be a real problem so simply roll a dry FloodSax up and gently push it into the toilet where it will expand on contact with the water and seal the toilet.
Learn how to reuse floodsax click here
Can you Reuse Floodsax?
After the flood – Floodsax can be reused if they have not been contaminated with sewage water or chemicals such as fuel from floodwater that came into contact with car engines etc.
Simply place the floodsax out on sunny days to dry leaving space between each floodsax for air to circulate. It might be an idea to turn them once in a while.
Things to note –
Given floodsax hold just under 6 gallons of water it will take time for the water to evaporate. So you have to be patient. If it is also extremely humid this will also affect the drying time.
Each floodsax will shrink but they won’t shrink down to their original size but close enough.
If you have your floodsax out to dry and it rains the floodsax will reactivate and fill with water to become a flood defense system. So it’s best to keep them out of the rain if you’re trying to dry them for reuse another time.
If you touch the floodsax after they have been activated they may have a slimy texture / feel. This is normal and part of the polymer process. It is not toxic and not harmful to the environment.
