Improving the Flood Resistance of Masonry (Flood Protection)
The Stormdry system can provide an effective flood barrier as part of a flood resilience or flood protection system. Before application of Stormdry, cracks in walls to be treated should repaired and mortar courses repointed up to the flood design height using a suitable mortar mix incorporating Stormdry Repointing Additive No.2.
Due to its high vapour permeability, Stormdry allows walls to dry out more quickly after flooding occurs than if they had been treated with conventional coatings. With no visual alteration to the existing brick or stonework finish and one simple application, Stormdry creates an invisible flood barrier with the minimum of disruption.
Flood Test
To simulate the effects of flooding, a 100mm diameter tube with a 90 degree bend was attached to a brick wall (constructed from fletton bricks and a 5:1 sand:cement mortar). The tube was filled with water to a height of 600mm to simulate the effects of flood water coming to bear against the wall. The speed at which the water permeated the wall was measured. The experiment was then repeated:
- After treatment with Stormdry Cream (allowing 28 days to cure)
- After treatment with Stormdry Cream and repointing using a 5:1 sand:cement mix incorporating Stormdry Repointing Additive No.2 (allowing 28 days to cure)
Test Results
Treatment with Stormdry Cream greatly reduced the amount of water permeating through the wall, particularly below 300mm simulated flood height. After repointing with Stormdry Repointing Additive No.2 the full 600mm of flood water was held back for the duration of the test (6 hours) - demonstrating that the combination of Stormdry Cream and Stormdry Repointing Additive No.2 can provide an effective flood resistance system. Stormdry Cream acts to prevent flood water permeating through the pores of the masonry, whilst Stormdry Repointing Additive No.2 acts to prevent flood water permeating through the interface between the brick and the mortar.
