FloodSax alternative sandbags keeping floodwater out of the porch FloodSax sandless sandbags come in hand-sized packs which are very easy to store All these 20 FloodSax came from this one easy-to-carry box

How FloodSax alternative sandbags saved Patricia’s home from flooding

Patricia Palmer suffered a flash flood at her Hertfordshire home and it worried her so much she vowed she’d be prepared if it happened again.  

So she did some research on the internet and discovered FloodSax sandless sandbags made by Yorkshire company Environmental Defence Systems Ltd. Within months her house was hit by another flash flood but this time the FloodSax sandless sandbags kept the water out.

Now the 70-year-old is keen to spread the message that FloodSax are a better and more environmentally-friendly alternative to traditional sandbags.

In a flash flood around the turn of the year, water got into the porch at Patricia’s mid-terraced house in Royston and ruined a Chinese rug which she then had to throw away. Patricia was worried that if it rained heavily again the water would go through the porch and straight into her dining room, causing hundreds of pounds worth of damage.

She said: “It was a very near miss so I was determined to be prepared in case it happened again but sandbags were not an option as they are far too heavy to lift, I don’t have the space to store them and I know they deteriorate and decompose with the sand getting everywhere.

“The last thing I want is a flood as it causes so much damage and misery and can have a major impact on home insurance. As it is, most home insurance has a large excess for flooding so it wouldn’t be worth claiming unless the water causes a lot of damage and no-one wants the stress that entails.”

Patricia bought a box hoping she’d never have to use them but Royston was hit by a terrible flash flood on Thursday, October 20, 2022 with water once again in danger of flooding her house so she deployed the FloodSax which kept the water out and saved the day.

In their dry state FloodSax resemble large pillowcases but they have a special gelling polymer inside so once they’re immersed in water they absorb the water and then retain it, transforming the FloodSax into a sandless sandbag.

FloodSax are vacuum-packed so are space-saving to store and far more environmentally friendly than sandbags which tend to deteriorate and spill sand everywhere, including down drains, blocking them. Floodsax are 96% biodegradable by weight.

Patricia said: “It rained so hard the drains simply couldn’t cope and the force of the water even lifted some of the drain covers. The downpour was relentless with the rain so torrential you couldn’t even see through it. I was praying for it to slow down and stop but it just didn’t.”

As the water rose outside, Patricia got the FloodSax out of the packaging and put them straight in the floodwater. They instantly began to absorb the water and expand within minutes and so she was able to manoeuvre them into protective barriers to stop the floodwater getting into her porch and garage.

Patricia added: “Water is so very powerful but the FloodSax were brilliant and worked just as it said they would on the packaging. I felt so protected by them and that was very important.  They are worth every penny. Buying them in advance so that I was ready for another flooding emergency was the best thing I ever did as they have potentially saved so much water damage.

“My family have lived in the house for 45 years and never had an issue with flash flooding until now and it’s happened twice in the past year. It just shows it can happen anywhere and at any time to anyone.”

FloodSax are incredibly versatile and multi-purpose. In their dry state they are very flat with a large surface area so are ideal at soaking up leaks, drips, spills and floods inside homes and businesses, especially in hard-to-reach places such as beneath boilers and radiators and underneath sinks.

For more on FloodSax go to www.floodsax.co.uk