Andel Ltd

Providing a bespoke leak detection solution for a major European data centre provider

Slaithwaite suffered extensive flood damage in 2015 after a blocked debris screen caused Crimble Clough Stream to back up, demolishing the wall at the end of Clough Road, flooding the area and causing extensive damage to local homes and businesses.Slaithwaite is a village within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, situated in the Colne Valley five miles south west of Huddersfleld.The devastating flood of 2015 in Slaithwaite The 2012 Kirklees Flood Risk Management Strategy identified that around 2,000 properties were at high risk of flooding with a potential £70 million of damage. When we started our conversation with Kirklees Council, they clearly expressed an interest in a local flood warning and monitoring system to proactively respond to future flood risk.Kirklees Local Flood AuthorityKirklees Council in West Yorkshire is the third largest metropolitan council in the region. As the lead local flood authority for the district, Kirklees manages local flood risk from surface water, groundwater and smaller watercourses and ensures cooperation between local risk management authorities. As part of a smart monitoring project for flood risk areas, funded by Chester University, Andel worked with the Kirklees Council flood risk team to design a local flood alert and monitoring solution for Crimble Clough, enabling the Kirklees Council to better manage the risk of flooding in Slaithwaite.The challengeThe project is designed to monitor high water levels at Crimble Clough caused by debris washed down from the upper wooded catchment and blocking the debris screen. The sensor-based system monitors the difference between water levels, before and after the debris screen, automatically sending alerts for pre-set trigger points.No real-time information: in 2015 the Crimble Clough debris screen became blocked by debris washed down from the upper wooded catchment, with no warning system in place to alert the screen contractors.No strategic information: in 2015, there were many flood hotspots that needed attention but with limited council resources. Because there was no remote monitoring system in place, it was difficult to choose where best to deploy support.Extensive damage: In 2015, due to the stream backing up and demolishing the wall, homes and businesses downstream from Clough Road were flooded and severely damaged.Disruption: following the flood, the clear-up and restoration process for the affected area meant residents had to leave their homes and businesses were closed for months. The economic damage from the 2015 flood was significant with many hours of Kirklees Council labour invested into the recovery. With a monitoring and alert system in place, all of this could have been prevented.The solution – Andel FloodAlertAndel FloodAlert provides 24/7 local monitoring and alerts for areas at risk from flooding. FloodAlert provides real-time information on rising water levels and automatically sends out early flood warnings. The robust and reliable system is easy to install and set up and tracks water levels in watercourses and other parameters for up to 15km from a gateway.From a single water-level sensor to a catchment sensor network monitoring water levels, soil moisture, rainfall data and water quality, FloodAlert provides real-time local flood monitoring and alerts for projects of any size.Installing Andel’s FloodAlert system now means that Kirklees Council has:A cost-effective, real-time local flood monitoring and alert system. A water level monitoring system at the debris screen that sends out SMS and email alerts when water levels reach critical. A system that recognises that the debris screen is blocked by monitoring water levels before and after the screen, sending out SMS and email alerts when the difference is too much. A dataset with detailed catchment data including rainfall, water levels at strategic points and soil moisture in the surrounding farmland – all helping to develop future flood risk models and flood alerts. Live monitoring of sensor data via a cloud-based portal with easy-to-use visualisation accessible from any device with internet connectivity. A system that can communicate with an unlimited number of designated users. Communication via a low-power, low-impact LoRaWAN ® network.The resultsAn effective early warning system: Kirklees Council now receives real-time alerts, allowing for timely response to blockages of the debris screen at Clough Road that has historically caused flooding during periods of heavy rain.Data collection: Kirklees Council can now collect detailed data about how the Crimble Clough catchment responds to rainfall and can develop models to predict future response.Impact measurement: Kirklees Council is developing a baseline to measure the effectiveness of natural flood management interventions at critical locations within the catchment.What the customer saidWorking together on the ‘buildbacktogether’ project was a pleasurable experience, it was essential to have the complimentary skills that made the outcome of the project much more effective. The support from team Andel was very useful and Gerbren Haaksma especially was extremely supportive and efficient with his quick response and stimulating input through the term of the project. I am keen to continue our collaboration and work with the local communities on more engagements like the Slaithwaite project.Namrata Bhattacharya-Mis, Programme Leader, Natural Hazard Management (BA/BSc), Chester University

A client with a strong reputation for sustainable construction needed a flood defence system to protect a large substation in Croydon.UK Power Networks and ClancyUK Power Networks is responsible for electricity distribution and maintenance across London, the southeast and east of England. Clancy contracts for UK Power Networks refurbishing substations. Clancy was founded in 1958 and is now one of the largest privately owned construction firms in the UK. Its vision is to be “trusted to deliver smarter, greener infrastructure brilliantly.”The challengeClancy managed construction and implementation of the Andel flood defence system for UK Power Networks.Location: the substation is located within a flood risk area and is critical for maintaining electricity supply to thousands of homes and businesses.Sustainable: they wanted an environmentallyfriendly approach in line with their commitment to sustainability.Disruption: the aim was to protect transformers from flooding to maintain reliable electricity supplies to homes and businesses.Protection: they needed to protect the transformers from flooding to maintain network resilience.Inconvenience: they wanted a solution that would cause minimum disruption to the site allowing for continuity of service.Cost: they needed a cost-effective solution compared to the costs normally associated with traditional flood defences.The solution Andel FloodWall and Andel FloodBlox® Andel FloodWall is a cost-effective, environmentally friendly alternative for perimeter flood defence and is suited to commercial, residential, new build and retrofit installations. Panels and posts are constructed from robust, 100% recycled, nonporous, post-industrial plastic waste.This means the substation now has:A sustainable, cost-effective and environmentallyfriendly system compared to traditional flood defence systems.A flood defence system with a lower carbon footprint compared to an all-concrete construction.A modular solution that was easy to transport and speedy to assemble on site with minimum disruption.A robust perimeter flood defence designed and tested to meet the requirements of British Standard BS 851188-1:2019 for Flood resistance products.Andel FloodBlox® is an easy-to-use, lightweight, demountable flood barrier for all types of openings such as gates, house doors, patio doors, garage doors, warehouse and factory doors as well as creating easy access within a perimeter flood defence wall.This means the substation now has:A lightweight, easy-to-use demountable flood barrier allowing easy access to the bund.Proven technology that uses the natural pressure and weight of floodwater to create a watertight seal.The result Sustainable: Panels and posts are constructed from 100% recycled, post-industrial plastic waste, reducing the carbon footprint compared to traditional allconcrete flood defences.Convenient: A modular, easy-to-assemble system causing minimal disruption to on-site operations as no heavy machinery was required.Effective: FloodWall and FloodBlox® provide a robust, tried and tested flood defence solution allowing easy access to protected areas.Cost: The modular and flexible system reduced installation time and delivered a cost-effective solution.Excellent communication: The on-site Andel team worked closely with the client, ensuring open and constructive dialogue with regular updates on progress and timescales.Added value: The project also included installation of Andel’s market-leading BundGuard® units, a bund dewatering solution previously supplied to the client and contractor on other sites.What the customer said;We made the right choice working with Andel on the UK Power Networks Croydon project. Andel has worked with Clancy before providing pollution prevention products and maintenance services for the electrical distribution sector.As a safeguard against the increasing risk of flooding, Andel were able to provide a sustainable and cost-effective solution for the Croydon substation, protecting UK Power Networks transformers from the risk of future flooding.Craig Aust, Project Manager, ClancyIt was great to work with Clancy on the UK Power Networks Flood Defence project at Croydon Substation. We were tasked with delivering a robust, reliable and environmentally sustainable solution to protect the transformers on site from the risk of flooding. Working closely with Clancy Project Manager, Craig Aust, we were able to navigate the project to deliver a solution that sat in line with their values of delivering quality and sustainable practices. We are delighted to have successfully delivered a flood defence system that ensures the transformers are protected from the ever-increasing risk of flooding. 

In 2020 the River Wye broke its banks and flooded nearby Monmouth Prep School in Wales causing severe damage to the entire ground floor of the Prep School, playground and surrounding fields. According to the latest reports on the impacts of climate change, flooding caused by severe and frequent rainstorms is the UK’s most pressing climate-change risk and could affect millions of people causing extensive damage, disruption and loss. So, once the school was back on its feet, we were delighted to work with their insurance broker, Hettle Andrews, to make sure the property was protected against future flooding. Monmouth Prep School, MonmouthMonmouth Prep School is a fully co-educational Prep School in Wales for children aged three to 11-years-old. The independent school is one of Wales’ leading prep schools and offers boarding and day attendance to pupils in modern and contemporary teaching spaces which encapsulate the very best of traditional, independent education.  We worked with the school’s insurance broker and project facilitator, Hettle Andrews, who work primarily with schools, universities, colleges and charities. The challengeThe school had previously had minor issues with flooding as the River Wye is situated at the bottom of its garden. However, the flood of 2020 was the most devastating. The river broke its banks and flowed into and through the school to the dual carriageway situated on the other side. The flood damaged the entire ground floor of the school, the playground and surrounding fields and the whole school had to be urgently evacuated. No warning: the school is surrounded by a flood bank and had flood gates installed in 2002 however there was no early warning system in place to get the flood gates closed in time.Extensive damage: the 200-year-old school building sustained catastrophic damage and needed large-scale structural repairs to be restored.Sanitation issues: the waste from the surrounding farmlands was washed into the school along with the floodwater, mud and debris causing not only damage but also sanitation issues. Inconvenience: the clear-up process included using five 40 foot skips which were filled with damaged items such as furniture, clothing, educational equipment and floating debris.Disruption: the school had to close for nearly seven months to clear the debris, remove all the damaged school equipment, clean the entire premises, sanitise and eventually re-build.The solution;Andel’s FloodAlert – one of our innovative, industry-unique flood defence solutions which provides an early flood warning for properties not covered by the Environment Agency flood warning service. FloodAlert provides real-time information on rising water levels and automatically sends out early warnings. The robust and reliable system is easy to install and set up and once in, tracks surface water levels for up to 15km from a gateway. This means the school now has:A cost-effective, real-time local flood alert system with three alert levels A sensor which sends SMS and email alerts to give them time to take action to protect their pupils and the school Optional live monitoring on a cloud-based portal, via any device with internet connectivityA system that can communicate with an unlimited number of designated usersCommunication via a low-power LoRaWAN network. The resultEarly warning: the school now has an effective early warning system for rising surface water. Safety first: the school now has safety measures in place to protect its pupils aged three to 11-years-old. Confidence: the early warning system gives the school staff around six hours from the first notification of rising waters to close the flood gates allowing plenty of time to evacuate the children as well as any equipment. Peace of mind: the staff at the school feel relieved knowing the water levels are constantly being monitored at the property especially because they are so close to the banks of the River Wye. Community: we are always quick to try and accommodate schools that require our services as we know they are the centre of the community and provide safe havens to many. We are proud to have been involved in this project alongside Hettle Andrews and to have been able to install our FloodAlert product on a site with such a rich history and provide the school with an effective early warning system plus peace of mind.What the customer said;The 2020 floods were devastating and left us with the fear that it could happen again. Having such little children on site, it was very stressful knowing there was no early warning system in place. Now we have a good five or six hours from the first notification of rising waters to close the flood gates, evacuate the children safely, and make the necessary arrangements to protect the building. With all these flood defence measures in place, we hope to never have a repeat of the destruction and school closure of 2020.Rob Alexander, Caretaker, Monmouth Prep School

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 devastationA 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, EdgbastonSt 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 challengeNo 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 installedEasily monitor the display LEDs which provide clear alarm information and system status for both leak detection and system faultHave 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 damageBe alerted quickly as there is an audible alarm with a mute functionBe 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

A major global company selected Andel to install leak detection systems in multiple data centres, based on our approach, experience, quality and price. The end-user customer is one of the world’s leading digital infrastructure companies, providing a secure, sustainable, global collaboration platform to numerous industry-leading organisations in finance, manufacturing, retail, transportation, government, healthcare and education. The challengeThe data centres were built to the latest design specifications employing cutting-edge features and technologies. Mile upon mile of data network and power cable is installed under raised access floors where it can be organised and routed safely out of sight. The problem is that the same void, hidden from view, also contains water service pipes feeding air conditioning units, toilets and kitchens. A tailored, robust, hybrid solution needed to be installed meeting multiple requirements, primarily at low level, within the floor voids around the perimeter of the data halls with distance measuring systems monitoring CRAC units, plumbing and other plant. Additionally, a range of zonal systems provided early warning alarms and automatic isolation for water, refrigerant gas and oil leak detection.The solutionFloodline® HLD, Ranger® distance measuring system and a range of zonal senorsAndel’s Floodline® is a flexible, future-proof, zonal and distance measuring leak detection system. State-of-the-art, hybrid, Floodline® HLD multifunction control panels were installed in conjunction with Floodline Ranger® distance measuring systems and a range of zonal leak detection sensors including water, refrigerant gas and oil. Floodline® HLD control panel can monitor up to 224 zones using a combination of resistance-based and Modbus-enabled sensors.High-visibility Floodline Ranger® cable provides up to 1500 metres of continuous leak detection, detecting the presence of water and conductive liquid at any point along its entire length. Conductive-polymer technology construction makes the the sensor highly resistant to corrosion and abrasion. Sensor cable was strategically installed in floor voids to continually monitor the server halls, ensuring early leak detection through alarms and automatic valve shut-off systems.  The system triggers audio-visual alarms as well as sending onward communication to BMS. Resilient, sustainable, cost-effective, easy to install and maintain, Andel’s Floodline® is a flexible, future-proof, zonal and distance measuring leak detection system. Proactive approachPrior to installation, great care was given to ensure the customer was happy with all Andel’s Floodline® equipment and to demonstrate the superior build-quality and functionality and to allow the customer to see and handle the equipment first-hand. The customer was provided with all relevant technical specifications and user information. The project involved detailed assessment and planning for the five sites. Bespoke installation kits were manufactured in advance for each installation team. Andel put together mobile crews to visit each of the sites. The installation took 20 days from start to finish, meeting the deadline. The resultA successful leak detection installation that fulfills the customer’s brief, protecting priority servers and IT infrastructure in new major data centres. Installing Andel’s Floodline® leak detection systems now means the customer has:A cost-effective, reliable and low-maintenance leak detection system across five mission-critical sites.A bespoke, tailored solution for each site.Peace of mind with a leak detection system that will give early warning alarms and onward communication, allowing for evasive action to be taken to avoid any damage.A future-proof solution with a leak detection system where additional zones, sensors and upgrades can be added easily and cost effectively. What the customer said;We are delighted with the installation of the Ranger leak detection system across our sites. We feel at peace knowing our servers are protected with high quality systems providing realtime leak detection monitoring.Robert Gilbert, Project Manager