Following another heavy downpour, many Sydneysiders are finding out the hard way how rainfall extremes can cause significant damage to homes. However, while flooding is a real risk, it’s often made worse by unresolved plumbing and drainage issues in the home.
Whether it’s a leaky roof or a blocked gutter, delaying plumbing repairs can cause some serious headaches when the next storm hits. With the occurrence of recent floods, it’s more important than ever to protect your pipes, gutters, and drainage systems from causing further problems.
Just ask Greg Murray, owner of GSM Plumbing and an expert plumber with over 25 years of experience. He knows that if you’re experiencing plumbing issues, it’s best to fix them right away because when a small leak turns into a bigger one due to all the rain, you’re looking at a more painful and expensive problem up ahead.
Plumbing Problems During Storms
Flooding
Sydney residents are all too familiar with the destructive force of floods. In recent years, severe rainfall has inundated areas of the city, causing extensive damage to homes and businesses.
One of the key contributing factors to the damage is a lack of outdoor drainage. When it rains, the water has nowhere to go but the streets. And without proper drainage, the downpour can quickly gather around buildings and pose a serious threat to safety.
By ensuring that your property has adequate outdoor drainage, you can avoid water entering your property if it can’t flow through the stormwater drain.
Overflow
Of course, drainage is only as good as its flow and when a blockage interrupts it, the accumulating water has no place to go but up, causing an overflow.
This is mainly caused by leaves and other organic matter that can clog up the system. Unfortunately, this blockage only becomes obvious during a downpour. That’s why it’s important to have your outdoor drainage systems cleaned regularly so that any debris can be cleared before they become problematic.
Clogged gutters and downpipes
Leaves and debris make another appearance when clogging gutters and downpipes which you only discover during a heavy rainfall
When these items build up in your gutters, they can prevent the flow of water and cause them to go elsewhere. In addition, if you have trees near your home, their branches can also contribute to the clog by dropping twigs into the mix.
When you notice that your gutters are starting to fill up, you know you need to clean them along with your downpipes immediately before making it a routine every few months. This will certainly save you from a lot of headaches down the line.
Roof leaks
A common cause of roof leaks is when water seeps through the roofing material and into the roof cavity, because of weather-related wear and tear like a steady rainfall. Over time, this can lead to bigger damage that allows more water to come in.
If you suspect you have a roof leak, it’s important to have it inspected by a professional to determine the source and extent of the tear. Left untreated, even a small roof leak can cause major damage to your home and belongings so act quickly the moment you see a droplet.
Other Plumbing issues you shouldn’t delay getting fixed
Blocked drains
Common items that clog strip drains, especially those next to garages include leaves or other debris that the wind sweeps up and ends up there.
For houses that slope away from the road, this is particularly dangerous. A blocked strip drain could result in runoff water having nowhere to go, making its way into your garage and causing serious damage to anything inside.
Whatever the reason, it needs to be solved immediately. Luckily, there are a couple of solutions to unclog strip drains.
The first is to use high-pressure water jetting to blast the clog clear. The second is to remove tree roots that often grow into the pipe. And lastly is to replace the pipe altogether.
Water pooling in backyards or against houses
When water sits in one place for an extended period, it begins to seep into the ground weakening your house’s foundation. Eventually, the pool of water makes its way into your home through the resulting cracks.
But the damage doesn’t stop there. Water sitting in backyards or against houses can also kill the grass. Not only does this look bad, but it can also lead to other problems like mosquitoes breeding in the standing water. So if you’re having a problem with water pooling in your backyard or against your house, be sure to take steps to fix it as soon as possible.
Sloping the soil ( when possible) and installing subsoil drains can help keep water from pooling outside houses. This is especially important in areas where the ground doesn’t naturally slope away, like a flat lot. By creating a path for water to flow away, you can avoid mold growth and the deterioration of your building’s foundation.
Broken gutters
There are a few solutions to fix broken gutters, but it depends on the severity of the damage. If they are just cracked or sagging in spots, you can patch them up with sealant or reinforcement.
When they are neglected beyond repair, you need to replace them entirely. Heavy rains and extreme heat can weaken your gutters so it’s important to regularly clean and inspect them for any signs of damage. If you catch the problem early, it will be much easier to fix so don’t delay.
Broken roof tiles
Weathering can cause your tiles to fracture and break over time, while physical impact (from something like a falling branch) can cause chips and fractures. Age can also play a role in their deterioration, as they may become more brittle over time and thus more susceptible to breaking.
If your roof tiles have a crack, they can cause problems with your gutters and downpipes, as well result in water leaks and draughts in your home.
A simple solution for them is patching up the broken tile. This involves covering the break with a piece of metal or another material that will prevent water from getting through. You can also seal the break with caulk or another sealant but if the tile is severely cracked, then you need to replace it altogether.
Whichever solution you choose, it’s necessary to fix broken roof tiles as soon as possible to prevent further damage to your roof and gutters.
Conclusion
It’s important to fix plumbing problems immediately to avoid potential headaches, money pitfalls during extreme rain events.
Not only will this save you from unnecessary damage to your property, but trying to get these issues fixed during or immediately after prolonged rain could be a challenge, as plumbers are busiest during these periods.
Tasks like cleaning gutters can be dangerous for homeowners if they slip or be struck by falling debris. In addition, it can be painstaking to do stormwater drainage repairs without the proper knowledge and tools.
Weekender Newsroom
This post has been published by the team in our newsroom.