Durability and Purpose Found in Glass Flood Barriers
Humanity has a penchant for disregarding the warnings of Mother Nature and defiantly trying to live in places people maybe should not. The tenacity of the human race is unbreakable, and is as strong as their ingenuity. As humans learn to cope in dangerous areas, they find new ways to resolve continuing weather conditions. In areas of high flooding, people have found many different ways to prevent damage to personal property. Glass flood barriers and other methods continue to evolve in such areas.
Towns will often create levees because it is often obvious when the town is made that a specific area is prone to flooding. These require a manipulation of the earth or soil around a river that might later rise, using slopes to divert or maintain the water’s flow. It’s an old solution and is still looking for ways to be improved. Another old method of flood barriers is that of sandbagging. Like levees, these are done to prevent the river waters from nearing a town or populated area. A bag made of heavy fabric is filled with sand or other material and lined up along the potentially weak areas of a flooding river.
Unlike sandbagging and levees, there are other, more last-minute, measures people use to protect their residential or commercial properties. Automatic gates, which can often be remotely triggered, can seal off a building very effectively and tightly with flood proof panels. Hinged floodgates are manually moved and closed over entryways and sometimes windows. These, unlike glass flood barriers, are moved into place when flood threat is imminent.
When it comes to more permanent flood barriers, companies that excel in installing things like hinged gates or glass barriers are often required to provide insurance companies with a certificate. The certificate verifies that the glass used in glass flood barriers matches standardized regulations. In order to ensure that a high level of expertise has been involved in the installation, an architect or engineer must also sign the certificate.
Being a permanent addition to a home or business, glass flood barriers are typically pleasing to the eye and don’t give away their true purpose. The lower panels of the window generally defend the inside of the property by matching local flood levels. However, installed properly and placed effectively, a glass barrier can protect up to four feet of the property in height. Windows in general shatter beneath the strength of floodwaters. Glass barriers are modernized and manufactured to resist shattering and be long lasting.
Glass barriers do not require the maintenance that other types of flood protection might. What is very important, however, is the protection of the sealant used around the window and glass itself. The caulking that is used must be kept tightly sealed, not torn or broken. It must also be protected against mold damage, as this seal is what keeps water out when flood levels rise.
Many home owners prefer a less permanent option to glass flood barriers and hinged or automatic gates. A glass barrier though can often serve a dual purpose in different areas, as they are typically rated hurricane safe as well. They don’t require manual labor at times when people would rather be thinking about their families and friends. They also do not protect entryways such as doors, so other types of flood barriers should be added to a glass system.