#1 Home Improvement Retailer

Questions and Answers for Quick Dam 17 ft. Flood Barrier

Internet #203556392

Model #QD617-1

Store SKU #1001240191

  • Absorb, Contain & Divert flood water
  • Activates & swells with water
  • Quick & easy to use, ready in minutes

Questions & Answers

89Questions
caret
Q:Is it best to start the process of these filling up with water before it starts to rain? Or does it absorb the water and not let it run through while it's soaking it up?
by|Mar 17, 2019
7 Answers
Answer This Question

A:  Just lay it on the floor. When water touches it, it will quickly absorb and expand to form the barrier. So no need to fill up with water. Just a note - the efficacy of the barrier is roughly an year. After that you may have to buy again. That said, for the price, I think it is more than worth it.

by|Aug 17, 2023
    1 found this answer helpful

    A:  If a rush of water is expected, we recommend pre-activating with water as it takes about 10 minutes for the barriers to fully swell with enough water present. Otherwise, you can let the oncoming water to absorb into the barrier and then once fully activated, it will act as a barrier.

    by|Aug 17, 2023
      1 found this answer helpful

      A:  It absorbs the water when it rain. I have mine for two years and I am. Very pleased.

      by|Aug 17, 2023
        1 found this answer helpful

        A:  it absorbs as it rains and it won't get through the door.

        by|Mar 21, 2019

          A:  You don’t need to get it wet. Just lay it out dry. If it’s windy, I put a couple of stones on top of it to hold it in place.

          by|Mar 19, 2019

            A:  They are fairly light when dry and will blow around in a stiff wind so you can water them some to help keep them in in place if wind is a problem. If not, they will absorb water and form the barrier immediately upon contact with water.

            by|Mar 20, 2019

              A:  It inflates pretty a uickly when the water hits it. The problem I had is a lot of rain coming off the street easily pushed it down my driveway. I put bricks behind them but it would just deform around the bricks. You Also several sections never inflated. I bought three of them to cover a 35’ opening. If you’re dealing with just a little water they may be okay but for me they were worthless. They didn’t even last a few rains. I won’t buy them again. I definitely would not use them to prevent large amounts of rain flowing. Actually I can’t really think of any type of use where they would stop water.

              by|Mar 20, 2019
                caret
                Q:is this reusable have a garage door that water leaks in
                by|Dec 23, 2018
                8 Answers
                Answer This Question

                A:  Yes, this product is reusable.

                by|Feb 22, 2024
                  1 found this answer helpful

                  A:  Yes it is reusable, but do not try to drive over it when it has absorbed water and if in direct sunlight, will last less than a year before it starts to break down.

                  by|May 28, 2020
                    2 found this answer helpful

                    A:  Yes, that’s exactly what I use it for.

                    by|Apr 4, 2019
                      2 found this answer helpful

                      A:  Yes. I’ve used mine a few times.

                      by|Jun 18, 2019
                        4 found this answer helpful

                        A:  yes it is reusable. It will stay puffed up unless it dries up completely. I have a 17 ft that due to all the rain and ground being moist, it stays expanded.

                        by|Apr 4, 2019
                          2 found this answer helpful

                          A:  We’ve kept it on the floor in our garage for months but I would not say it’s “reusable”. I don’t think you could pack it up and bring it out when you needed it again.

                          by|Sep 7, 2020
                            3 found this answer helpful

                            A:  yes as long as it does not have holes gel in it expands when wet

                            by|Jul 30, 2020
                              6 found this answer helpful

                              A:  Reusable - yes. You can leave in place in between rains....or pull away and let dry out.

                              by|Apr 4, 2019
                              3 found this answer helpful
                              caret
                              Q:Has anybody used this barrier to prevent 4 feet of water to flood their garage and house? Thank you very much
                              by|Dec 18, 2018
                              6 Answers
                              Answer This Question

                              A:  I used this product around my garage door during the last hurricane. It did not get wet but it was about 3f high. If there were to get water in my garage, it would have been minimal.

                              by|Dec 18, 2018

                                A:  Yes, I bought one but it didn't keep my basement from flooding... perhaps it will work for you.

                                by|Dec 19, 2018

                                  A:  That would not work with these. Each strip swells to only about 4-6 ? inches high so they recommend that when you want a higher barrier to stack them in a pyramid configuration. For that much water you would need a high stack. They do not hold unlimited water-- four feet of water -- I think would overwhelm the barriers. Also, once they are saturated, they are very heavy and either need to be laid out to dry-- which takes forever or they can be thrown away. I used a stack of two strips for about 2 inches of ground water-- to keep water away from my patio door. They worked well for that--

                                  by|Dec 18, 2018

                                    A:  Sorry, I have not. It seems you would need an awful lot of them though.

                                    by|Dec 19, 2018

                                      A:  not four feet....but for 2 feet. You just need to stack them....they provide instruction on what needs to be done for stacking. This is an excellent product....if left in the sun (which I do)....they will dry out over time and the next water that comes they will reinflate. good product. I use around my barn.

                                      by|Dec 18, 2018

                                      A:  These barriers swell to 3.5" high. You would have to stack them higher than anticipated water of 4ft and take into consideration a 1:2 ratio of height to width. For every 1 ft in height you need to go out 2ft in the width for a stable base. There are other flood barriers such as the Water-Gate by Quick Dam that will offer higher protection: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Quick-Dam-26-5-in-x-30-ft-Portable-Dam-QDWGWL-2630/205830695. Here is a link to one size, but there are options available up to 5ft in height.

                                      by|Dec 18, 2018
                                        caret
                                        Q:Will it work with salt water
                                        by|Dec 9, 2018
                                        6 Answers
                                        Answer This Question

                                        A:  Unknown. But it work/reusable. Great product dries up and easy to store in container rolled up

                                        by|Dec 11, 2018

                                          A:  No, this will not work with salt water. If salt water comes in contact with the barrier, it will release the water back out, or not make it swell at all. If you are looking to protect against salt water, you can always activate with fresh water and wrap the barriers in plastic sheeting to protect it against the salt water.

                                          by|Dec 10, 2018

                                            A:  No, it is not intended for salt water.

                                            by|Dec 10, 2018

                                              A:  It will work with any kind of water. Rain flood sewer etc!!!!

                                              by|Dec 12, 2018

                                                A:  Yes, this barrier will work with saltwater.

                                                by|Dec 10, 2018

                                                  A:  Yes. The downside with these barriers is that after use they need to be dried in the sun in order to be stored. Otherwise they really do the job of holding back water and preventing erosion. If I needed something like this again, I would buy them.

                                                  by|Dec 12, 2018
                                                    caret
                                                    Q:I bought this to put at one end of a horse run-in shed that is downhill and rain floods the stalls. I put them down and then set straw bales in front of them so the horses could not get to them and as a first line of defense in case they didn't work. When I got home to check if it worked, they were still flat, but there was gel (like the inside of diapers) sitting on top of the barrier. Anyone else have this issue? The material was like a geotextile fabric so I'm assuming it has a tear somewhere? Don't know that I want to keep investing in this if it's not going to work as advertised.
                                                    by|Nov 23, 2018
                                                    5 Answers
                                                    Answer This Question

                                                    A:  it has a tear mine still work and no gel i love the product i suggest you return and buy again and see maybe what you are using it for is making tear in it

                                                    by|Nov 25, 2018

                                                      A:  It worked great. Had an area prone to flooding- used it during hurricane. Once it was wet, it swelled up and became a dam. Once we were done with it, and the barrier was sitting in the sun for a few days, it did excrete gel. Great product!

                                                      by|Nov 27, 2018

                                                        A:  It seems there was a tear in the material. Sometimes that can happen. I used the product before the last Hurricane in Virginia. Though I did staple the product, I did encounter holes with minimal gel leaking out. It has been about two months and the product is still inflated with little rain since. Not sure how long I can keep the product.

                                                        by|Nov 23, 2018

                                                          A:  I have bought these for years and they plump up when they get wet. Occasionally I see some gel , but a small amount and it is at the seams.never knew how it got there, sounds like there might be a tear if they are flat. Our driveway is at the end of a cul de sac and goes downward so we get water in our garage if we get a heavy rain. These have been wonderful. We always keep a couple extra for hurricanes. Hope this helps

                                                          by|Nov 25, 2018

                                                            A:  No. I put it down in front of my sliders because during a hurricane, rain water was blown into my lanai and the water seeped under the doors and into my living room. I placed them down prior to hurricane season. They were there 6 months. There were no hurricanes. The barriers remained flat. There was no gel, either.

                                                            by|Nov 28, 2018
                                                              caret
                                                              Q:How wide is it?
                                                              by|Nov 4, 2018
                                                              5 Answers
                                                              Answer This Question

                                                              A:  I didn't measure it but I would guess about 4 inches. BTW I was not tremendously impressed by its performance. It does absorb a lot of water but as far as providing a barrier to keep water out it was pretty marginal

                                                              by|Nov 5, 2018

                                                                A:  About 8 inches. Just enough to seal up a door frame

                                                                by|Nov 5, 2018

                                                                  A:  Un-activated they are 9 inches. Once activated they are 6 inches wide. They will grow 3.5 inches high.

                                                                  by|Nov 5, 2018

                                                                    A:  They are 8 inches wide. As they absorb water, they expand to a height of 3 1/2 inches.

                                                                    by|Nov 5, 2018

                                                                      A:  Each bag grows to 32lbs, 24in x 12in x 3.5in .

                                                                      by|Nov 5, 2018
                                                                        caret
                                                                        Q:Can you drive over these?
                                                                        by|Oct 29, 2018
                                                                        5 Answers
                                                                        Answer This Question

                                                                        A:  you could but it might wear the material down if you do it every day

                                                                        by|Oct 30, 2018

                                                                          A:  No it will leak out the jel inside.

                                                                          by|Oct 30, 2018

                                                                            A:  Driving over these is not recommended if they are fully activated as the inner contents will have no where to be dispersed to and cause the bag to burst. Unactivated or slightly swelled should be no problem.

                                                                            by|Sep 22, 2023

                                                                              A:  When dry, maybe...once wet, definitely not advisable!

                                                                              by|Oct 30, 2018

                                                                              A:  Yes, you can drive over this barrier but not when it is fully expanded.

                                                                              by|Oct 30, 2018
                                                                                caret
                                                                                Q:Can this be used in a utility room around a hot water heater? It would be about a foot away from the heater on all sides.
                                                                                by|Oct 1, 2018
                                                                                5 Answers
                                                                                Answer This Question

                                                                                A:  Yes it can. However, I don't know if hot water would damage or weaken the Flood Barrier.

                                                                                by|May 6, 2023

                                                                                  A:  I would think that it could be used as a very temporary barrier to keep the water contained. However, I do not think it would not keep the water from spilling over the top of the barrier when the circular perimeter gets full. I think the primary purpose of this item is to serve as a deflector of water in front of a garage door as an example. Just my thoughts. Might want to mount your water heater in a drain tray and run a piece of PVC pipe out to a drain. Your results may vary. Best.

                                                                                  by|May 6, 2023

                                                                                  A:  Yes, you can use around a hot water heater. I do want to point out that if the floor you will be laying this on is unfinished concrete or porous, they barrier will fight with the floor to absorb the water and there may be seepage. We recommend laying a plastic sheeting down under the barrier to prevent this from happening.

                                                                                  by|May 6, 2023

                                                                                    A:  It should be fine. The package said it is non-toxic and non hazardous.

                                                                                    by|Oct 2, 2018

                                                                                      A:  Yes, there would be no problem at all.

                                                                                      by|Oct 3, 2018
                                                                                        caret
                                                                                        Q:How long will these barriers actually work, months or years ?
                                                                                        by|Sep 12, 2018
                                                                                        5 Answers
                                                                                        Answer This Question

                                                                                        A:  Hard to answer...once saturated, they do not prevent water from getting past them...and they take several months to dry out and return to initial state...would not consider these a long-term / permanent solution.

                                                                                        by|Oct 30, 2018

                                                                                        A:  I used it for a winter to catch melting snow.

                                                                                        by|Oct 24, 2018

                                                                                          A:  Used once, worked as intended

                                                                                          by|May 6, 2023

                                                                                            A:  I find that it’s best to replace them each year. They will still absorb water, but they never return to the original condition, once they’ve gotten wet. They start to deteriorate. Despite this, and the fact that they are not inexpensive, I buy them every year. They are so convenient and reliable—much better than filling sandbags!

                                                                                            by|Nov 5, 2018

                                                                                              A:  They are typically good for one season if left in place. The water will evaporate out and when exposed to water they will swell and gel back to full size.

                                                                                              by|May 6, 2023
                                                                                                caret
                                                                                                Q:How quickly can you get it to us?
                                                                                                by|Sep 11, 2018
                                                                                                5 Answers
                                                                                                Answer This Question

                                                                                                A:  You can order directly on Home Depot.com or check to see if they have any inventory in stores.

                                                                                                by|May 6, 2023

                                                                                                  A:  2 day quick delivery!

                                                                                                  by|Jun 25, 2019

                                                                                                    A:  I got mine in just two days just ahead of a three day rain.

                                                                                                    by|May 6, 2023

                                                                                                      A:  Got mine in 4 days

                                                                                                      by|Dec 26, 2018

                                                                                                        A:  Usually within 2 days...just go to homedepot.com and the site will let you know

                                                                                                        by|May 20, 2019