Protecting a primary school from water damage by providing a leak detection system

After a prestigious school near Birmingham suffered extensive damage when a leak went unchecked, we installed our award-winning leak detection system to prevent future devastation

A tiny leak left to escalate at St George’s in Edgbaston ruined thousands of pounds of property and equipment and left the school without a properly functioning IT department. Leaks within buildings are very common and if not monitored can cause extensive damage, disruption and loss. So, once the school was back on its feet, we were delighted to work with their insurer, Hettle Andrews, to make sure the property was protected against future flooding. 

St George’s School, Edgbaston

St George’s School is a fully co-educational independent day school for children from ages three to 18 in Edgbaston, near Birmingham. Established as a charitable trust, the school opened in September 1999 as Birmingham’s first independent school to offer a complete education for boys and girls from kindergarten through to the sixth form.

We worked with their insurance broker, Hettle Andrews, who facilitated the project. Hettle Andrews works primarily with schools, universities, colleges and charities. In the winter of 2021, the boiler in the room above the IT department of the school began to leak. The school was closed for the holiday period so no one went on-site and the leak went undetected. On return to the school in the New Year, staff discovered the leak which by that point had caused extensive damage.  The leak had not only destroyed the ceiling and light fittings but the whole IT department below including computers, carpets, plug points and furniture. 

The challenge

No warning: this was the first time anything like this had happened. There were no warning systems in place, nor were there any preventative measures. 

Extensive damage: the full ceiling had to be replaced, along with expensive light fittings, computers and IT equipment.

Inconvenience: it resulted in substantial inconvenience and downtime for the department which in turn affected its daily function within the school.

Disruption: the IT department had to be relocated elsewhere in the building, along with any remaining functioning equipment. 

Time-consuming process: while the damages were being claimed on insurance, the room was cleared and de-humidifiers installed to try and remove any remaining moisture.

The solution;

Andel Floodline^®

Andel's unique, award-winning water, oil and gas leak detection and monitoring solution. We are one of the global market leaders in leak detection systems and we knew our Floodline^® solution would be a perfect fit. It is a true hybrid that can report to a single integrated control panel – unlike some other systems that require different alarm panels for different types of leak detection.

Floodline^® covers all possible leak detection requirements, from single-zone to multi-zone and distance measuring systems, with the capability to protect the largest of buildings, both old and new. 

Floodline^® systems allow additional zones, sensors and upgrades to be added easily and cost-effectively so it is future-proof. 

So, we installed Floodline^® SVCP – 2-Valve Control and Floodline^® 1-Zone Leak Detection System. 

This means the school is now able to: 

• Easily monitor all the Floodline^® leak detection sensors installed
• Easily monitor the display LEDs which provide clear alarm information and system status for both leak detection and system fault
• Have peace of mind knowing the solenoid valve control panel will immediately close two solenoid valves in the event of a leak, ensuring the water source is stopped, preventing any damage
• Be alerted quickly as there is an audible alarm with a mute function
• Be alerted when away from the property as output relays connect to a GSM communicator which sends out an SMS.

The result;

Bespoke solution: we were delighted to be able to come up with a tailored solution for St George’s School. 

Early warning: the boiler room at St George’s Edgbaston is now equipped with a bespoke leak detection system that will give early warning should there be any escaping water detected.

Confidence: the client feels relieved and more confident now that our leak detection systems have been installed. 

Peace of mind: knowing they will no longer have to worry about leaks especially when there is no one on-site. 

Futureproofed: the school knows their chances of this occurring again and their building and equipment being unprotected have now drastically dropped. 

Community: as schools are the hubs of most communities, the last thing we want is for their day to day operations disrupted by escaping water, something which can be detected early and solutions provided easily. 

We are proud to have been involved in this project alongside Hettle Andrews and hope to work with more of their clients in future to provide proactive solutions.

What the customer said;

“We are relieved and more confident now that our leak detection systems have been installed. It has given us peace of mind, knowing we no longer have to worry about any leaks going undetected and resulting in catastrophic damage. The chances of this occurring again, meaning our building and equipment is unprotected, have now drastically dropped. We are really happy with the services and products provided by Andel and would happily recommend them.”

Patrick Ryan, Maintenance Manager, St George’s School