Sandbags are usually used for protection. Or flood gates, https://www.lakesidefloodsolutions.co.uk/products/flood-gates/ Flood gates are used when there is a high water level due to ebb and flow, and when the wind is strong. It may happen twice a year.
So, how has it been going? It's been a few days since the river was coming in...
On the continent, people block windows and doors. There are special building systems where U-tracks are placed in the recesses, and when needed, boards are placed in the tracks to block them. Since it can never be completely tight, it must be supplemented with a pump inside. But you significantly reduce the inflow, making it manageable.D Daniel 109 said:
But then it is not isolated rule houses that are significantly dominant in Sweden. If it is stone houses, it can work.
@goldtooth
How did it go, did you manage or were there a lot of damages?
What measures did you take and how effective were they?
How did it go, did you manage or were there a lot of damages?
What measures did you take and how effective were they?
Where do you think the water penetrates the house fastest? The water should enter the house.D Daniel 109 said:
(It is a residential house, built to be a residential house)
1. Through the chimney
2. Through the foundation (slab on grade)
3. Through a window
4. Through a door
5. Through an exterior wall (concrete)
6. Through an exterior wall (wood construction) with a vapor barrier
7. Through a wall without a vapor barrier.
Thanks for all the answers. I didn't have much time due to the landslide risk that increased at the same time as the river's water level. Built a makeshift barrier at the basement entrances, assuming it mainly looks good in pictures and doesn't really help. We moved some things up from the basement but had to evacuate immediately when they came knocking on the door. The area is cordoned off, so I haven't seen how it looks since Thursday afternoon. I also won't be able to see it until the landslide risk decreases, hopefully sometime early next week.
Know-It-All
· Västra Götaland
· 12 296 posts
Through the fresh air vents.
The doors are probably the first to leak in
The doors are probably the first to leak in
I just noted that earlier in the thread. Regardless of water barriers or not, the basement would be emptied. I suspect that houses with basements are at the highest risk for flooding. So the basement should be completely emptied. Even pictures on the walls. It should be as empty as when you move. Then you've minimized the damage. You only need to deal with the surfaces. If there's a risk of it intruding on the ground floor in the house, as you wrote, you'd need to raise the furniture. I would probably try to stack the furniture as best I can. Those that remain should be raised. All items should be gathered and placed somewhere. Somewhere in this, you need to ensure that protective embankments are built. These are the most important. I would probably put boards in front of the basement windows. Partly to buy some time, but also to prevent the water from shattering the pane.S SueCia said:Yes, I didn't mean that older houses were more airtight, rather the exact opposite. In older wooden houses, there's nothing that can be called airtight, but in newer houses, the vapor barrier is very tight
Wouldn't bother making any attempts if I couldn't stop the water from reaching the house, I'm convinced it will make no significant difference since it's only a matter of a few minutes before the water level is as high as if you hadn't tried.
Raising furniture and valuables from the floor is probably the only reasonable thing. Unfortunately. (unless you have the chance to steer the water away from the house, of course)
Hard not to be able to check on the house. Not knowing. That sounds worse than standing there watching the water flow in.G goldtooth said:
Didn't even think about the vents haha....
We experienced a really heavy downpour at our place; I've never seen anything like it. It lasted a long time and was so intense that car alarms went off, so it wasn't just a regular "heavy rain".
Water then seeped up from the floor drain outside the basement stairs. We had about 50cm of water depth outside the door, and inside it ran along the concrete floor into a floor drain 3m away. In panic, I sealed the door with towels, which allowed the indoor floor drain to handle the water volume.
Apart from a few boxes that stood there, nothing more than the floor got wet near the floor drain.
As soon as the rain subsided, it flowed out of the floor drain outside the basement door, and we managed with a little cleaning work. If the door hadn't been sealed or if we didn't have a floor drain, we would have had a substantial amount of water throughout the entire basement level.
So sealing doors can really pay off under the right circumstances. But it's probably pointless in some cases.
Water then seeped up from the floor drain outside the basement stairs. We had about 50cm of water depth outside the door, and inside it ran along the concrete floor into a floor drain 3m away. In panic, I sealed the door with towels, which allowed the indoor floor drain to handle the water volume.
Apart from a few boxes that stood there, nothing more than the floor got wet near the floor drain.
As soon as the rain subsided, it flowed out of the floor drain outside the basement door, and we managed with a little cleaning work. If the door hadn't been sealed or if we didn't have a floor drain, we would have had a substantial amount of water throughout the entire basement level.
So sealing doors can really pay off under the right circumstances. But it's probably pointless in some cases.
Barriers and strategically dug holes where water can collect, or a ditch in front with robust submersible pumps with a hose to an appropriate stormwater drain or similar, can work well!
Not everyone thinks about taking lots of pictures when someone comes and knocks on the door and says you have to leave now... Some do...K _Fredrik_ said: