Floodgate Door Flood Barrier review
Floodgate Adjustable Door Flood Barrier
By Tom Calder
A serious, UK-made door barrier that expands to seal a doorway in minutes and holds water to around 60cm without any permanent modification. It is a genuine step up from sandbags for a defined flood risk, but it is a considered purchase rather than a grab-bag item, and it only works on inward-opening doors with a sound frame to seal against.
- Best for
- Homeowners in a known flood-risk area with an inward-opening door who want a reusable barrier rather than sandbags.
- Skip it if
- Your door opens outward, your property tends to flood through airbricks and walls rather than the…
as of 4 Nov 2026, 23:07 GMT · Details
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.co.uk at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.We earn a commission if you buy through the retailer links on this page. It doesn't change our verdict. How we make money →
Researched, not used. We haven't used this product. This review is built from the maker's specifications, owner reports and our own sizing.
What we like
- Reusable and quick to deploy in minutes with no tools, sandbags or permanent building work
- UK-made steel-and-neoprene construction that expands to fit a range of door widths and forms a watertight seal to roughly 60cm
- Widely used by councils and flood-risk households, so it is a known, well-supported product rather than a novelty
Worth knowing
- Expensive compared with sandbags or FloodSax, with the price depending on the width you need
- Only suits inward-opening doors and needs a flat, sound frame and reveal to seal against; it does nothing for water entering via airbricks or walls
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Our review
Floodgate's barrier is a steel frame in a rubber jacket that you crank sideways into a door reveal with a spanner, with no drilling and no sandbags. The number that matters is 0.6m: the depth the maker had it tested at, leaking a tenth of what the standard allows. It suits a household whose floodwater arrives at an inward-opening doorway with a sound, flat reveal to grip.
What it is
The frame is 25mm boxed steel with a scissor jack at the back and four pressure bolts along the bottom edge; the cover is a 7mm rubberised jacket that goes over all four edges. Turning the jack with the supplied 17mm ratchet spanner pushes the frame outwards into the walls of the reveal, then the bottom bolts press the cover down onto the step. Every size is 68cm high. Floodgate makes five standard widths: Extra Small for openings of 68 to 77cm (about 14kg), Standard 77 to 89cm (15kg), Regular 89 to 97.5cm (16kg), Medium 97.5 to 113cm (16.5kg) and Large 119.5 to 136cm (18kg). Wider openings and outward-opening doors are special orders.
What the test figures mean
Floodgate says HR Wallingford and BRE tested the barrier to BSI PAS 1188-1:2014: still water 0.6m above the threshold, waves up to 0.1m and a current of 1.0m/s flowing past. The standard allows 500ml of leakage an hour per metre of barrier; Floodgate reports 50ml. For a one-metre door that is about three tablespoons an hour at the full test depth, which a cloth or mop deals with.
Two caveats. PAS 1188 has since been replaced by BS 851188, the standard behind today's BSI Kitemark, and the National Flood Forum's Blue Pages says products tested to the newer standard are more likely to work reliably and last longer; Floodgate cites the older one. And the maker's manual calls the barrier one part of a suite of measures and asks for a flood risk assessment by a qualified professional before you fit one, while its website says water above the 68cm height can press hard enough on outer walls to cause structural damage.
Fitting it to a British doorway
Floodgate asks for a clear reveal depth of at least 40mm, walls that are plumb and parallel, and a level step. Brick is fine if the pointing is flush; render, wood, uPVC and metal work too if they can take the sideways load. The manual puts deployment at no more than five minutes: clear debris, retract the jack, stand the frame against the door frame with the cover facing the water, wind the jack out, then tighten the bottom bolts from the outer edges inwards. Test it with a hosepipe on a dry day; if there is seepage, adjust the bolt nearest the trickle. Pair it with our flood warnings tracker and flood preparation checklist.
How it compares
Hessian sandbags on the comparison are rated to about 30cm in our table, need filling with sand, and slow water rather than stop it. FloodSax store flat and swell when wet, but each row holds back around 20cm and they are single-use. The Floodgate is the only one of the three you can stand up, crank tight and take down again for the next event, and the only one with a published leak rate. Our sandbags guide sets out when the cheaper route is enough.
Living with it
After a flood you loosen the bolts and the jack, lift the frame out, wipe the cover and dry it in shade, then grease the moving parts. Floodgate says to store the frame upright and the cover flat in its box, and to check both at least every six months. The warranty is 12 months against defects in materials and workmanship, with claims made in writing. Wear gloves: the maker warns the metal edges can be sharp.
Our verdict
Buy it if your home has flooded before or sits in a flood warning area, the water arrives at an inward-opening door, and you can give the reveal a sound, flat surface. Skip it if your water comes up through floors, drains or airbricks, if the door opens outwards (a special order), or if your flood risk is a once-a-decade puddle, where a few FloodSax are the proportionate spend.
A researched review, built from the maker's specs, manual and UK listings; facts checked 21 Oct 2026. Sources: Floodgate Ltd: Floodgates (sizes, weights, construction, testing); Floodgate Deployment Guide & User Manual (Manual No. 08-24); Floodgate FAQs (reveal depth, outward-opening doors, warranty); Blue Pages (National Flood Forum): standards and accreditations; GOV.UK: Prepare for flooding, protect your property.
Who shouldn't buy this
Your door opens outward, your property tends to flood through airbricks and walls rather than the doorway, or you are not in a genuine flood-risk area, in which case a cheaper FloodSax/sandbag approach or a whole-property flood plan is the more proportionate spend.
Key specs
| Type | Adjustable telescopic door barrier (inward-opening doors) |
| Protects up to | 60 cm |
This is a Researched review: we haven't used this product. We check every specification against at least two independent sources, re-check the UK price on a schedule where we can track it automatically, and say plainly who it isn't for. Commissions never change a rating.
If this isn’t the one
Best for Renters, flats and anyone without space to store sand, for shallow doorway flooding and indoor leaks.
as of 4 Nov 2026, 23:07 GMT · Details
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.co.uk at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Best for Households facing shallow, slow-rising flooding who want a compact, sand-free defence they can store flat by the door.
as of 4 Nov 2026, 23:07 GMT · Details
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.co.uk at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Best for Clearing standing floodwater from a cellar, garage or utility room after water has already come in.
as of 4 Nov 2026, 23:07 GMT · Details
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.co.uk at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.Questions
How high can the Floodgate hold water back?
Every Floodgate is 68cm high. The maker says it was tested to PAS 1188-1:2014 with still water 0.6m above the threshold, leaking 50ml an hour per metre against a limit of 500ml. Floodgate also says water above 68cm can put enough pressure on outer walls to damage the structure.
Does the Floodgate work on an outward-opening door?
Not the standard unit. Floodgate's FAQ says an outward-opening door needs a modified gate, made to special order, that the installer fits from the outside.
How long does a Floodgate take to fit?
Floodgate's manual says no more than five minutes once the doorway is clear: wind out the scissor jack with the supplied 17mm spanner, then tighten the four bottom bolts. Floodgate says it does not normally need drilling or permanent fixings.
Is the Floodgate Kitemarked?
Floodgate states independent testing to BSI PAS 1188-1:2014 by HR Wallingford and BRE. It does not claim a BSI Kitemark or testing to the newer BS 851188, so ask the supplier if a Kitemark matters to your insurer.
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