The Taming of the Raging Waters
By Gina Dostler
You know Hannes Floto has an interesting life upon learning he has one son born in Germany, one daughter born in London, another daughter born in Baltimore, Maryland, and a chocolate Labrador from Pennsylvania whose foredoggies came directly from the Mayflower.
A world traveler, Hannes is the founder of a company just in the making. HydroGuard, the ultimate defense against raging waters, is about to help save homes worldwide from floods. When he’s not coming up with great ideas or supporting other start-up company adventures, Hannes finds himself at home in the UK with his wife, kids, two dogs and an Indiegogo campaign just about to begin.
Q: What is HydroGuard?
A: It’s a reusable flood protection system using an innovative sliding technology. Basically HydroGuard can be in place within minutes of unpacking from the box. One of the finer point is it allows two separate types of seals that accommodates wooden or plastic doors. Turn it one way for wood, the other way for plastic. It’s incredibly simple to use and does the job of stopping flood waters from spilling into the home through doorways.
Q: What prompted you to create this product?
A: Unlike the drought in California, England is under lots of water right now. There has been so much rain that I have had a little creek running almost constantly in front of my door. After being underwater four different times, my wife insisted I do something about it before we had the creek running inside our house. Living in a 16th century cottage did not provide a simple solution to my quandary.
Q: A wife, a 16th century cottage and H2O makes for a very inspiring combination.
A: Both my homes, one when I lived in the mountains of Greece and the other in Maryland, have been flooded twice. Each time I thought it would never happen again. To find protection from floods, our cottage posed a problem because all the doors are different sizes. After extensive research I found nothing simple or inexpensive to deal with it. This got me thinking and soon I was collaborating with my colleagues James Brown, a marketing specialist and Robin Harris, an engineer. And we started designing HydroGuard. Turns out we came up with a great product, basically the first affordable flood barrier that uses an innovated sliding technology.
Q: We just had a flash flood last week in Mt. Baldy. And in many places in the US, flooding has been terrible. What makes this technology so unique?
A: There are many flood prevention products around. But they aren’t flexible. Other barriers require pre-installation and some that installed into the floor can be very expensive. The HydroGuard doesn’t require any pre-installation and no tools. It’s lightweight so any person can handle it, unlike heavy sandbags. And you can store it in the garage or large cabinet and have it ready to use for another time. It can also be easily removed from the door in the case of an emergency exit from the property. Other flood protection systems include multiple pieces, complicated measurements and lots of assembly.
Q: How does it work?
A: It’s very simple HydroGuard creates a sealed barrier by sliding it across any door and locking it in place. The two aluminum panels slide into each other and adjust to any required length for any doorframe. Four clips in the back allow it to position in front of the door and quickly fastened with a lever. It works better than the traditional sandbags, which are not reusable due to hygiene issues. Throughout the world, people pile sandbags in front of their doorways to ward off floodwaters. However, these fail to create a waterproof seal to prevent water from entering homes. HydroGuard creates an instant protective seal against water and debris.
Q: Won’t the water just get in through the windows?
A: In the UK the average flooding stands at about one foot, but it is different from country to country. The two main sources of flooding are rain and the other rivers overflowing their banks. Another source in the coastal areas is flooding from the sea. Floods rising higher than the ground floor windows are sometimes best handled by allowing the water to flow in so static pressure doesn’t build up on the outside and cause structural damage. A home built from wood might not withstand the high pressure from the water surrounding it. Of course in our country if one of our medieval castles with their five foot thick stone walls gets flooded, it just might hold its ground.
Q: Where can HydroGuard be purchased?
A: We only have our white prototype from a 3D printer created with our logo on it at this time. But we will soon begin our crowdfunding campaign to help HydroGuard get started. It will take place on September 17 through Indiegogo, a rewards-based system that allows people to solicit funds for an idea, charity or start-up business. Donations begin at just a £1 and for £180 (approximately $300) funders can ensure they receive their own HydroGuard to protect their homes from floods. The final product will be made from aluminum. And in our campaign we might have a color version available as a prize to reach another level of funding. Then we can finish the final design and start producing.
