Inflatable dams are a type of inflatable flood barriers for homes, and are a perfect example of what homeowners can do to protect their homes and property from the ruin caused by floods. It is important that homeowners find stable solutions that they can easily install to protect their property that they can rely on. Floods are very serious, and are potentially life-threatening making the best defense, a good offense.
What are Water Inflated Flood Barriers?
Water Inflated Flood barriers are water filled cylindrical tubes that act as temporary dams. They have two double inner tubes, which hold the water and are resilient enough to withstand the external and internal pressures by using an industrial grade geo-textile material to ensure their durability. Civil engineering projects use the material to prevent soil erosion making it suitable for use in water and on any surface.
Water inflated flood barriers are designed so that they are reusable. The water inflated cofferdam from Dam-It Dams is an award-winning product for dewatering, damming and diverting water from construction sites.
Use of Inflatable Dams to Protect Homes from Floods
Traditional methods have a flawed record when it comes to effectiveness. Flood-walls sometimes bring more havoc once the wall can no longer hold the onslaught of the raging storm. And sandbags are tedious labor, can carry disease and bacteria, and require supervision as well as immediate replacement upon their saturation. Homeowners need a better solution.
What is an Inflatable Dam?
Dam-It Dams inflatable dams are spread around the house and filled with on-site water to protect the home from flood water. There are various designs and are expandable so the homeowners can buy the best inflatable dams to best suit their needs. When the flooding water reaches the area covered, the force of the inflatable dam will hold back the potentially devastating onset to ensure it does not reach the home.
Why Use the Water Inflated Flood Barrier?
The cofferdams that Dam-It Dams provides its customers are dependable solutions for the purposes of damming, dewatering, and diverting, and some of the top reasons are:
Light-Weight Portability
When not in use, the water inflated dams can be folded and stored away for future use. Much a water balloon, once there is no water inside, the dam deflates and for this reason, you can pack and move the barrier in your vehicle. You can fold them to fit in a small space in your shed or business premise. Being portable, they can be transferred quickly between places, making them suitable for emergencies.
Puncture Resistant
When it rains, flood waters carry debris such as rocks, branches, and sewage waste from hundreds of miles away. Such debris is highly dangerous to any property and living beings. You must have a strong barrier against the water and the debris.
After setting up the dam, water cannot seep through it, making it ideal for flood protection. The industrial geo-textile material that comprises our inflatable flood barriers allows it to withstand tremendous forces and impact.
Expandability
Our inflatable flood barriers are made to be linked together in order to form a continuous tube, filled with water to create a strong barrier. This means whether you need a cofferdam to protect a small home or if you require a cofferdam to protect your large business premises, Dam-It Dams has the tools to fit your needs. You can also rest assured that the dams defend water levels from 1′ to 12′ in height.
Flexibility
You can modify the dam into any shape you want promptly. They will go round bushes, wind around grounds, cover a home and shed, all with ease.
Lifetime Investment
The damage from flood waters ranges in the thousands of dollars. Even a small water level can destroy the building fabric, especially if the home is structurally compromised prior to the disaster. Post-flood clean up is expensive and arduous. Items such as the carpet could need replacing, furniture will absorb water, and wooden flooring will be warped. The cost of replacing these items is in the thousands of dollars.
Though the initial cost may seem high, the purchase of inflatable flood barriers will save property worth $100,000 upwards. Additionally, once you buy one, it will last for years to come.
Environmentally Friendly
These dams don’t require any extensive site preparation, unlike floodwalls and levees. You don’t have to cut trees or destroy structures, it goes around them. The soil is minimally disrupted thereby preventing soil erosion.
Easy to Install, Collapse, Store and Transport
To install, all that you need to do is unroll the PVC around the perimeter of the structure and fill the tube with water. Being a PVC material that is sold in pieces, the inflated dam can be erected without hiring professionals to assist you. The inflated dam can also be easily collapsed just by draining the water from the inside tubing, then you can simply fold it back up. This is work that can be done by only one person as opposed to previous methods which required multiple laborers to help.
Dam-It Dams, A Manufacturer You Can Trust
Depending on the manufacturer of your inflatable flood barriers for homes, you may find that the barrier allows water underneath the flood barrier. To avoid this, always make sure that you buy inflatable dams from a trusted manufacturer.
How to Use the Water Inflatable Flood Barriers
To use the dams a water source if needed. You also need two portable water discharge pumps to fill the water in the tubes. Setting up the dam for home use requires a small workforce of four people at maximum. Two people will also erect the barrier.
The dam can be built in moving water or stationary (static) water. Depending on the water depth and movement, you may need ropes to anchor it in position. Filling the dam takes a short amount of time, and after guiding it to the position you want, it exerts tremendous force on the ground making it extremely difficult for Mother Nature to move it.
When using the dam, you can promote its effectiveness by using it on an impermeable ground. If the soil around your property is sandy soil, you can take additional measures to compact it, but generally, it won’t affect the performance of the dam.
Disaster Preparedness
Taking into consideration the extreme weather conditions that the world is facing, it is important to invest in disaster preparedness because no one knows when the floods will next hit. We should not wait to be prepared.
To make sure that you get the right inflated dams, it is important that you work with a specialist within your area that will help you in choosing the best suited inflated dams. Make sure to take note of the strength of the material of your barrier as there are many different brands available in the market, because it is what determines how protected you are.
