When floodwater enters a property, it often finds the weakest points. In fact, standard air bricks account for up to 90% of low-level floodwater ingress into properties, providing a direct route for water to enter sub-floor spaces and cause severe, long-term damage. This is why effective flood defence products are so important and why independent certification provides valuable reassurance.
At GAP Plastics, we are proud to have manufactured the Buffalo Anti-Flood Air Brick, an innovative product designed to provide underfloor ventilation during normal conditions while automatically sealing when floodwater rises. This helps prevent water from entering a property through the air brick and provides a passive flood defence solution.
From the outset, the owner of Buffalo Flood Systems, wanted the product to achieve recognised independent certification to demonstrate its suitability for protecting homes from flood water. The aim was to provide homeowners, contractors and specifiers with confidence that the product had been independently assessed and met the highest standards.
To achieve this, the anti-flood air brick and GAP Plastics' manufacturing facility underwent a rigorous testing and certification process with Kiwa, a globally recognised testing, inspection and certification organisation. The product achieved BSI Kiwa Kitemark certification (KA-26-1002) in accordance with the BS 851188-1:2019+A1:2021 standard, following rigorous testing that confirmed zero leakage under full flood conditions. The audit examined both product performance and our manufacturing processes, ensuring strict quality, consistency, and production controls were maintained.
The assessment was extremely thorough, with every aspect of the manufacturing process reviewed in detail. While challenging, the process confirmed the strength of both the product and our systems, resulting in successful certification for the anti-flood air brick and our manufacturing facility.
For GAP Plastics, this achievement demonstrates our commitment to precision manufacturing and producing high-quality components that customers can trust. We are pleased to have played a key role in bringing this innovative flood defence product to market, and achieving independent certification alongside Buffalo Flood Systems reflects the expertise, dedication and commitment to quality of everyone involved.
Share this post: