Flood Protection

Flood Protection Valve

Rain isn’t the only way a building can flood. If there are Domestic or Fire Water Storage Tanks in the building, a flooding risk is always present.

Cougar Systems Level Controls constantly monitor for High Level and actuate a motorized valve to shut off the water supply to prevent overfilling the tank and flooding the space.

Flood Protection Valve Tech Talk Transcript:

Hi, I’m Tim, Zacharias with Cougar USA. In this Tech Talk, we will cover flood protection valves for fill stations and atmosphere storage tanks. In the city of Houston, we have the requirement to go through the atmosphere storage tank before we add booster pumps into our building. So, a lot of these are going to be installed on the first floor, maybe in a basement on a vault outside, and we want to prevent those tanks from overflowing and flooding the building.

Green Stormwater Infrastructure article

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Flood Protection

Last August, the City of Houston’s Chief Recovery Office commissioned a one-year study to identify and recommend incentives to encourage the use of green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) in private land development, leading to economic, social, and environmental benefits as well as resilience.

In the a report, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said “While we continue to pursue large-scale projects to reduce flood risk, Hurricane Harvey and other floods have highlighted the necessity to employ a holistic stormwater management approach which integrates green infrastructure into our existing drainage systems.”

GSI is a stormwater management tool that can increase a property’s operating income, provide green amenities for residents and improve storm drainage, creating a win-win situation for owners, residents and the community. The report defines GSI and outlines the potential four incentives with implementation timelines.

Overflow and Flood Protection for Break Tanks in Commercial Buildings

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Flood Protection Level

Overflow and Flood Protection for Break Tanks in Commercial Buildings

Many commercial buildings in Houston have large water storage tanks to meet city plumbing code requirements. These break tanks provide water for fire protection pumps and domestic (potable) water pumps to supply the building. A major concern with break tanks in the building is the potential for flooding due to tank overflow. This is especially critical when the tanks are in a basement level.

In order to maintain a constant water level in the break tank, float style or electronic fill valves and controls must be used. The valves open when the tank level is low, and when the tank level returns to normal they close. With either system, there is a potential for the fill valve to fail in the open position, allowing water into the tank without control.

The Houston Amendments to the Uniform Plumbing Code Table 607.7 has specific guidelines for tank overflow and vent sizing, so in the event of a valve failure, the excess water will flow through the overflow to a floor drain. Especially on a fire tank system with large fill valves, this can be up to 1,000 gallons per minute of water pouring onto the floor of the pump room. Even when properly sized, floor drains may not handle this sudden demand (trash, etc.), and water can flood the pump room.

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Water Storage

Disaster Preparedness Planning for Hurricane Season

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Flood Protection

June 1st marks the beginning of Hurricane Season, and the NOAA predicts 2020 will be busier than average. While many property & facility managers are still working through the building operations changes required due to COVID-19, there are some additional measures to consider in preparation for potential heavy rains and flooding. The National Weather Service and FEMA have guidelines for the overall planning, so we will highlight a few items specific to water systems in commercial buildings.

Before the Storm

It is critical to regularly perform Preventive Maintenance (PM) on Storm Sump Pump Stations to ensure their performance. A PM should include a visual inspection of the sump basin, verifying the operation of each pump, and the control panel. Cougar USA now offers Preventive Maintenance programs on Sump Stations, as well as other water control systems.

During the Storm

If you have an issue during a storm, Cougar USA Technical Support and Service can be reached 24/7 at 832-678-3930. We help troubleshoot issues over the phone and with our Remote Guidance App that allows us to see what you see in real-time.