Spillage, firewater and flood containment technology

• Product Data

Flood and CSO Mitigation Technology

We believe that preventing floods and pollution at source is more effective than trying to combat the consequences of sewer flooding, river flooding, groundwater contamination, CSO discharges, etc.

Dynamic Catchment Area Management

Key to the occurrence of flooding is the management of the legacy catchment area where SUDS (Sustainable Drainage Systems) have not been or could not be applied, http://www.grdp.org/netregs/102255.aspx . such as in cities and towns with high density housing and industry, etc.

In addition to the above, many factory sites have "consented discharges" into sewers that generally arise due to the lack of on-site drainage capacity and/or the lack of purity of the run-off,

How it works:

We believe that in-drain retro-fit apparatus such as the Drainstopper^TM strategically located at key points within the drainage network can play an important part in reducing the risk of sewer flooding, CSO discharges and flooding in general.

In truth we don't often need to reduce the flow by massive amounts to have an impact on flooding. Flooding like every other event, follows a probability distribution curve and in many cases a reduction in the peak flow by as little as 5% can be enough to make a difference.

Drainage systems by their nature have two capacities, one is the flow rate and the other is storage capacity. We take advantage of the storage capacity to temporarily hold back or to partially hold back flow by closing off the drains / sewers at strategic locations.

Retro Fit

The Drainstopper^TM system was designed for retro-fit and can be installed in just a few hours, Systems can be mains or battery powered and for combined sewers supplied to meet ATEX Zone 2 and Zone 1 requirements, and in some case multiple valves can be operated from a single controller.

Actuation can be by means of a flow/level switch, rain gauge or remote control and closure time from a few tens of seconds to a couple of minutes depending upon drain size.

Easy to Maintain

The Drainstopper^TM Hanger Bracket^R permits easy maintenance of the system from above ground eliminating the need for teams of confined space operators.

Groundwater Source Protection

During a recent conference Velioa Water acknowledged that in the drought stressed S.E. England loose on average one valuable groundwater source each year to pollution.

EIL believe that with the correct applciaiton  and enforcement of containment technology many of these valuable sources could have been still working today. Products such as the DrainstopperTM costing just a few thousands of pounds to install can literally save millions of pounds of valuable water resource if used up stream of an extraction borehole or river.

Domestic Flooding

In the UK, according to the Environment Agency 1 in 6 properties are at risk of flooding during or after heavy rainfall. However, even on high ground you are not safe, as the author of this website can testify! On both high and low ground providing if there is a property higher than yours then there is always a constant threat from "sewer flooding" or as they call it in the Water Industry "a dry spill", that is where raw sewage enters a property caused by pressure build up from outside due to a blocked sewer. The point of entry is usually through a drain, gully or toilet at the lowest point above the blockage. According to one UK regional water company alone it has 11,000 properties at serious risk or who have experienced flooding from dry spills.

In an ideal world, all sewers and drains leaving all properties would have a non-return valve to prevent back flow. However, this is seldom the case and retro-fitting a non-return valve can be very costly and would require major excavation of the existing drainage system. This in many cases makes the cost of spending and disturbance hard to justify for what may be a once in a lifetime event!

The Floodtopper^TMpneumatic bladder system is the ideal low cost alternative to fitting a non-return valve for both domestic and commercial properties irrespective of there being a slight or high risk of flooding and/or sewer back up. In the case of flooding the  Floodstopper^TM should be used in tandem with door dams, sand bags, flood barriers and air brick / vent flood seals etc.

Whenever a flood warning is issued in your area, simply lift the seat on your toilet/s, clean the bowl/s, push the FloodStopper into the "U" bend of each toilet and inflate. Finally, fit the warning label to the handle on the cistern to remind your staff or family not to use or flush the loo. It takes less than 30-seconds to save untold hours of cleaning up, expense and misery.

The alternative location for the Floodstopper^TM is in the the sewer that leads into your property. This can be accessed by lifting the manhole cover outside your property. Simply insert in the pipe that leads into your property and inflate. It is important that you practice this exercise as you will need manhole lifting keys and to ensure the cover is not stuck down, hidden or covered by a parked car etc.

If you are not certain as to which way is the direction of flow simply turn on a tap and watch for the direction of the flow. To be effective, the Floodstopper^TM  should be inserted in the last manhole entering the property.

WARNING when handling sewers, manholes etc protective clothing should always be worn. Remember to fence off any manhole covers left open as when flooded they pose a serious hazard to people wading in flood waters.

The Floodstopper^TM is available in two versions - both domestically rated for 4inch (100mm) and 6inch (150mm) diameter drains. Pole length is fixed at 600mm.

For larger diameter or deeper drain we have a product called the Telestopper^TM. This is supplied with a long reach telescopic pole (up to 3m) and can be ordered with a badder capable of blocking drains from 4inch (100mm dia) up to 18inch in (450mm dia) diameter.

WARNING: The Floodstopper^TM is not the answer when your house or business is left unattened. For 100% assurance you need to install an Environmental Innovations automatic  Drainstopper^TM system. The Drainstopper^TM is pre-installed into the drain using a special suspension bracket^R. The whole assembly is automatically inflated under the control of level sensors located in the drain which are automatically triggered once the water/sewage levels exceed a preset level via our pneumatic control panel. The Drainstopper^TM solution may sound expensive and complex but often it is much cheaper than an insurance policy excess and certainly the cost of the damage or lost production if you simply do nothing!

Industrial and Commercial Flood Defence

Industry and commerce are at a much higher risk from flooding and sewer backflow than domestic properties due to the simple fact that most commercial properties are vacant overnight and at weekends preventing the deployment of manual flood defences.

Automatic flood and sewer defences are the only realistic option for industry, a fact that we have recognised in the development of the Drainstopper^TM pneumatic drain blocking bladder system which can be deployed automatically by a water or sewer level alarm.

Installation of a Drainstopper^TMsystem is quick and easy and requires the minimal of disruption in comparison to the installation of a non-return or automated penstock valve. Multiple drains can also be blocked off using a single control panel making for further cost savings. Further, the system can also double as a fire water and/or spill containment system meting the requirements of the PPG18 and PPG21 plus the European Environmental Directive 2004/35/EU.

Drainstopper^TM systems can be supplied to fit drains of up to 1.5M diameter and at depths of 3m below ground.