There's a wide range of Kitemark flood protection products available in the UK, from flood doors and barriers designed to protect building apertures to airbrick covers and demountable flood gates.
Many of these products are designed to be deployed quickly when there is a threat of flooding.
The Kitemark provides both manufacturers and specifiers alike with assurance that products have been independently tested and proven to meet the requirements of the standard. In order to maintain the Kitemark, the quality system under which the product is manufactured is assessed annually.
Anyone can test (or claim) that they have tested a product; however only products that bear the Kitemark have been independently tested and certified that they meet the requirements of the standard.
Many manufacturers/installers state that their products exceed the requirements of either the British Standard or the Kitemark scheme and sometimes both! These will often display copious marks to suggest the quality of their products but the only product specific mark of quality for flood protection in the UK is the Kitemark.
Whilst testing a product to a greater static water depth might suggest that it would perform better under flood conditions, it’s unlikely that the structural implications of this will have been considered. Most residential properties are simply not built to withstand the hydrostatic pressure exerted by flood water above 840mm which is why the current standard, PAS 1188 was set at this level. In addition, the standard also has requirements for performance when exposed to waves and currents.
CE marking does not apply to flood protection products as the current standard is not harmonized and should not be used on products, websites or promotional literature. These claims are simply false!