How Do The Aqua-Sac® Sandless Sandbags Work?
Opposite to the traditional sand-filled bags, Aqua-Sac® sandless sandbags contain a water-absorbent material. Once in place, the bags soak in water. As they inflate, they become a “sandbag”, effectively stopping and preventing further leaking and mitigating flooding risk.
What Are The Main Uses And Applications of The Aqua-Sac® Sandless Sandbags?
Even though the Aqua-Sac® bags offer an efficient flood mitigation method, they are a highly efficient solution for water and sewerage spills, broken pipes, and sewer drains. They help local councils and sewer companies tackle major issues that would otherwise require excessive labouring and resources to solve if using traditional sandbags.
What’s Inside The Aqua-Sac® Bags?
They are made from a heavy juke sack outer with a cotton liner and filled with a superabsorbent polymer that makes the Aqua Sac® bags an efficient method for stopping floods, leaks and spills.
What Makes Aqua-Sac® a Self-Inflating Bag?
Sodium Polyacrylate. This superabsorbent polymer (SAP) is the same used in disposable nappies.
Is The SAP Inside The Bags Safe?
SAP is considered safe, with the exception of potentially becoming a dust hazard. It can also become a slipping hazard if it spills out of the bags and comes in contact with water.
There’s also a minimal risk of fire and reactivity – similar to the jute sack – so no MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) is required.
How Long Does It Take To Prepare And Inflate an Aqua-Sac® Sandless Sandbag?
3 to 5 minutes
How Much Water Does an Aqua-Sac® Bag Take To Inflate?
It takes 13 litres of fresh water.
How Much Water Does The Bag Hold?
13 litres – weighing around 13kg. This is substantially less than a traditional sandbag that weighs 30kg.
How Much Does a DRY Aqua-Sac® Weight?
400 grams.
What Are The Dimensions Of an Aqua-Sac®?
Length x Width x Height
Millimeters: 540mm x 310mm x 105mm
Centimetres: 54cm x 31cm x 10.5cm
Inches: 21” x 12” x 4”
How To Dispose Of The Aqua-Sac® Sandless Sandbags After Use?
Both the Aqua-Sac® lining and SAP are non-hazardous. Dispose of in an approved solid waste landfill or incineration plant whether used (wet) or unused (dry). Always ensure to follow local regulations.
Whether used or unused, it’s possible to send the Aqua-Sac® to a landfill or incineration facility.
An alternative – though limited in quantities – disposal procedure is greening. In this method, the bags are buried under a tree during planting, acting as a water reservoir. When greening is not viable or practical, it’s possible to cut the bags open to remove the SAP, which can then be dug into the soil to increase moisture retention.
Aqua-Sac® sandless sandbags are biodegradable, inert and non-toxic. Before using them for greening or moisture retention, check with your local council if the water was contaminated. If this is the case, you must dispose of them and avoid further use.
How Many Sandless Sandbags Are In a Carton?
Each carton contains 50 Aqua-Sac® bags.
How many Aqua-Sac® Sandless Sandbags Are On a Pallet?
Each pallet holds 20 cartons. In total, there are 1000 bags per pallet.
What Is The Shelf Life Of The Aqua-Sac® Sandless Sandbags?
5 years – in dry conditions.
Can I Re-Use the Aqua Sac® Bags?
Experience and testing show that once the bags dry out, especially during the summer months, they re-inflate – in most cases.
In general lines, they would usually inflate to around 80% of their original capacity. A key consideration here is that this will always depend on the type of water they contained – i.e. if it was a sewage spill that would call for immediate disposal – and the weather conditions. Hence, re-inflation is not guaranteed.
Should I Inflate The Bags Before Building a Dam Or a Wall?
Yes. You must inflate the bags first to create a dam wall if you are using them, for example, to hold sewage water. The bags don’t have to be fully inflated because when the flood water comes into contact with the barrier you created, it will continue to inflate the Aqua-Sac® bags, creating a tighter seal.
Is It Possible To Use These Bags In Sea Water?
No. The Aqua-Sac® bags are only suitable for fresh water. You can use them in areas where seawater is a threat, but they cannot be inflated with it as it would cause the bags to deflate over time.
In a scenario where water ingress is suspected from the sea – usually connected with a 12-hour tidal surge – the bags will behave just as they would with fresh water flooding. If the threat continues over time and the bags start to deflate it’s possible to refresh them with fresh water during the low tide periods.
Learn more about Aqua-Sac® S.O.S. bags, and our range of flood prevention products: