Storm Season Plumbing in Sydney: How to Protect Your Home Before Heavy Rain Hits

Sydney’s weather can range from gloriously dry and sunny to torrential rain, strong winds and flash flooding. And when the storms roll in with gusto, they can put serious pressure on all parts of your plumbing system. Many plumbing emergencies don’t begin with a deluge of water.

The cause of many emergencies starts as a seemingly minor problem: cracked pipes, blocked drains and clogged gutters – that are amplified and exacerbated when severe weather sets in.

But, with some advance preparation and a few inexpensive plumbing preventative maintenance tasks before the storm season begins, you can most certainly keep such costly plumbing problems at bay. What types of plumbing problems do storms pose, and what should you be on the lookout for?

How Sydney Storms Affect Your Plumbing System

Sure, we know rain is a regular event in Sydney, but it’s those massive summer thunderstorms, the big low-pressure cells or the movement of tropical storms that really throw a spanner in the works regarding the plumbing system of our home.

This isn’t gentle, soaking rain, but rather huge amounts of water being dumped on our roof, driveways and our garden at once. This has to be channelled down our gutters, out the downpipes and into our underground stormwater system until it leaves our home.

If something in that pipework is blocked up or broken through or the rainwater tank is filled up, that water starts to pile up.

A lot of older Sydney homes can fall victim to problems of this nature. Some homes just have plumbing systems that simply aren’t designed to cope with such extreme weather events or, if the plumbing was installed a lot of years ago, a few cracks could have popped up over time, joints may have pulled apart as the pipes shifted.

Underground, the changing water content of the ground during and after big rainfalls could expand and move, making pressure points on the piping, or shifting underground joints around. Also, coastal erosion with its peculiarity, can cause ground shifts.

As is the case in most backyards, a root from a tree could have found a way into a tiny fracture in a pipe over time and could be growing quite considerably into the line, or a blocked pipe could be overflowing into a crack or hole in another line.

Believe it or not, your sewer line can also be a problem. If it’s cracked or blocked, heavy rainfall can force water back into your home or out through outdoor pipes, and sewer water carries more contaminants than plain rainwater.

The table below outlines some key impacts:

Weather Event	Possible Plumbing Impact
Heavy rainfall	Overloads stormwater systems
Strong winds	Block gutters and damage roof drainage
Ground shifting	Cracks in underground pipes

Blocked Drains Can Quickly Lead to Big Problems

A Plumbing Problem: Blocked Drains During The Storm Season. What is a small inconvenience in the dry months – a slightly slow running drain – will develop into a significant and frustrating issue after a substantial downpour. Be on alert for:

• Standing water on driveways and patios.
• Extremely slow outdoor drainage.
• Gurgling noises from pipes near puddles.
• Unpleasant odours following rainfall.
• Water backing up through outdoor grates.

Stormwater Pits: Often Ignored, Potentially Serious

Underneath a seemingly harmless ground-level structure lies your stormwater pit a collection point for rainwater before directing it into your property’s underground drainage.

A stormwater pit at street level is prone to being filled up with dirt, leaves, rubbish and other materials. If this happens then water backs up really fast if there’s extreme rainfall. If after several days there is still a pool of water sitting in the pit, then you could have a major problem deep in the system and it’s time to call a licensed plumber.

Tree Roots Are a Hidden Menace to Underground Pipes

Tree roots are responsible for much of the damage to underground pipes in Sydney.

Once inside the pipe, they grow and expand, narrowing water flow or even causing the pipe to burst.

Warning signs include:

• Recurring blocked drains.
• Slow toilet flushing.
• Gurgling pipe sounds.
• Unusually damp patches in the garden.
• Musty sewer odours.

By deploying CCTV cameras into the drain, your licensed plumbers will be able to locate the severity and the precise location of the tree roots, which can often result in quick and efficient repairs to your lawn.

Sewer Backups Are a Real Risk in Heavy Rain

If your sewer line has existing damage or blockages, this increased pressure can force wastewater back into your home – a situation known as a sewer backup, which also needs immediate attention.

What to look for:

• Bubbling toilets after flushing.
• Water backing up through floor drains.
• The distinct odour of sewage.
• Slow draining in multiple areas of the home.
• Wastewater appearing around outside inspection openings.

A backed-up sewer poses the threat of severe health concerns and damage to your belongings and property.

Burst Pipes Can Develop After Heavy Rain

Most burst pipes don’t result from old age alone, sometimes pressure completes in twelve hours, the work that ageing will do in twelve years.

With all that ground soak, the land swells up and expands, stressing underground pipes and joints. Older pipes are more likely to fail under the pressure caused by ground movement.

The main indicators include:

• A sudden change in water pressure
• A patch of dampness appears in the backyard
• Visible stains appearing around the ceiling or internal walls
• Higher than average water bills
• The sound of running water, with no taps open

If you suspect your property has a burst pipe, shut off your water supply if it is safe to do so, and call a plumber as soon as possible to get your pipes repaired and avoid further pipe damage or water damage.

How to Detect Plumbing Problems Before the Stormy Season Arrives

You probably assume that when your home has plumbing problems, you’ll have plenty of warning, but that’s not always the case. Rather, you’re often tipped off to potential plumbing problems well before a major storm comes to visit, and these tip-offs are easy to ignore.

In fact, many storm-related disasters, like standing water, didn’t come out of nowhere, the symptoms are often right there existing for weeks, even months, prior.

The good news?

With a little know-how, it’s relatively easy to head off a potential catastrophe.

1. You’re experiencing slow drainage

Whether in your kitchen sink, shower, or outdoor drainage area, water that’s not going down the drain as fast as it used to means that something’s getting clogged up. While the rain’s first drizzle might not make it more apparent, heavy downpour will definitely make it a home disaster.What to do about it: Have a plumbing company come and do a professional drain cleaning to get a head start before the big downpour.

2. You see standing water in the yard

When standing water doesn’t disappear from the driveway or lawn, or when outdoor drains are collecting water, you could have a drainage problem or a broken underground pipe. An emergency, obviously, if water is collecting on the lawn when it’s raining but even standing water on a non-rainy day might indicate a bigger issue to address down the line.

What to do about it: Call your plumber to inspect your storm drainage system.

3. Your gutters are overflowing

You might have noticed water flowing over the edges of your gutters, not through your downspouts; that’s a clue that may suggest that leaves falling off trees have collected inside gutters, creating a blockage or ‘dam’ effect and leading the rainwater onto your property.

What to do about it: Get them cleared before a major storm or rain event hits. If you have several large trees, consider installing gutter leaf guards to make cleaning out easier.

4. You’re noticing damp walls or ceiling stains

Water seeps in via many areas of your property, from the roof or even drainage lines to a pipe somewhere in your home, hence brown patches and discoloured sections or peeling paint on walls and ceilings is not to be taken for granted.

What to do about it: Before the big storm, call in roof and gutter cleaning services and have your plumbing checked.

5. Your home is often musty

You often smell a mildewy or musky smell that may suggest plumbing leakage (and perhaps undiscovered).

What to do about it: The water source should be identified and repaired promptly.

6. Gurgling in the toilets and drains

If you’re hearing gurgling sounds from your drains, or particularly if you hear one after flushing the toilet, it can be a sign that air is getting trapped behind a blockage somewhere along the line. That pressure could potentially backflow.What to do about it: A plumbing appointment to check and see if there are any blockages to be fixed can be made before the rain makes it worse.

7. There are oddly green patches of lawn

While this warning sign is not talked about much, if you notice an area of your lawn that is much greener than the rest, it could be that it is getting too much water from a leak in an underground water main or a leak in a broken sprinkler system.

What to do about it:Call your plumber to inspect and repair the underground leak.

8. Water pressure has dropped dramatically

A significant drop in the flow of water from your faucet can be a direct result of a leaking or bursting pipe within your home’s plumbing system. The loss of water flow indicates the water that should be flowing through the pipes isn’t reaching your fixtures and is instead leaking out.What to do about it: have your plumbing system evaluated to locate the problematic leak.

9. You have older plumbing or minor, ongoing leaks

A system of older, cracking pipes, or joints, with small leaks should never be ignored, especially in advance of major weather events. Rain can destabilise the earth that supports your house, and this shifting can compromise those weaker points in your plumbing system. A small leak could easily become a major disaster with all that pressure added to a compromised system.

What to do about it: Schedule preventative plumbing services and repairs. A licensed plumber can conduct camera inspections of your pipes if it seems necessary to identify any problems that you might be overlooking and can carry out repairs for minor leaks or cracks to prevent a plumbing disaster when the storms come.

How to Deal with the Next Plumbing Emergency from the Rain Storms (Getting Storm ready)

Although some plumbing emergencies are unavoidable due to weather-related conditions, they’re very serious and require quick responses from both the homeowner and plumbers, especially since you’re in the beginning minutes of possible damage.

Priority Number 1 (Water Damage Control)

When heavy rains come down and flood your home with water, stay out of standing water. Water has a nasty way of carrying sewage, debris, and electricity along with it, so standing in it should only be a last resort.

If water is creeping closer and closer to electrical appliances and outlets, turn off the electricity at the main power board if it’s safe. If you have absolutely no clue how to do this or have no safe way of doing this, stay clear of the affected area and get help from the professionals.

Stop Water From Entering

If water is entering through the ceiling because of a burst pipe, turn off your home’s water supply immediately.

If the water is allowed to flow into your home for more than a few minutes, you will incur significant damage that can add up to a lot of money. Have the location of the shut-off to the water to your home in case of a plumbing emergency, particularly storm-related.

Relocate and Protect Your Valuables

Move anything and everything that could be affected to a higher shelf or a place above the flooded area, if not completely out of the area. Just a few inches of water can make all the difference and wreak havoc on your belongings. Take pictures as evidence of damage.

To help you file an insurance claim, take as many pictures and videos of the damage as you can.

This will serve as evidence that water damage indeed happened to your home and may assist in a faster claim process.

Call a Qualified Plumber

Storm-related issues such as broken pipes, leaking drains, blocked sewer drains, and overflows in stormwater systems are serious plumbing problems. Such damages don’t just get fixed with some DIY action and you shouldn’t wait to address such issues until the weather is good to go.

If you want the peace of mind to make sure that you get the repair done right then you must phone a qualified licensed plumbing service like Premium Sydney Plumbers to make sure that you do not have any financial loss.

Storm Damage Recovery Checklist (After the Storm Stops)

Storm Damage Recovery Checklist (After the Storm Stops)

Here’s a checklist to help you get started. After the storm has finished the sun is out and your place appears as if everything has been freshly made then you will need to quickly inspect your house.

What to look for after heavy rain:

• Roof inspection and gutter check: Ensure that all roof sheets are in place and structurally sound, downspouts are in place, and gutters do not overflow.
• Clean up stormwater pits: remove any debris from your stormwater pit(s) and clean around stormwater pits. Make sure there isn’t water pooling in the pit for hours after the rain; if so, its outlet may still be blocked.
• Water is draining well around your property: You might still see areas with standing or sluggish water drainage. This can be an indication that the underground pipes are blocked.
• Water damage in your house: You might be able to see water stains, or feel any dampness in your ceilings, walls, kitchen or laundry cupboards, or on the skirting boards.
• Signs of mould: If you see dark patches, or can smell musty odors, you could have mould growing.
• Get any damp/wet areas, and potential mould growth addressed as soon as you can.
• Your water pressure: a decrease in water pressure after a storm may indicate that pipes have been damaged underground.
• Water heater damage can be identified through leaks, rusty patches or strange noises. In the case of flood damage to your hot water appliance, you’ll require professional review before restarting it.
• Repair gutters, pipes or clogged drains to the stormwater system (if possible); do this as soon as possible. Doing it on a dry, clear day will not only cost less than an emergency repair but it’s also more efficient.

Professional Plumbing Maintenance Could Prevent Future Storm Damage

Most storm-related plumbing disasters can be avoided before expensive repairs become necessary during severe weather events.

A range of professional inspections and services your trusted Sydney plumber provides can help you avoid costly and harmful issues.

When we perform professional maintenance on your property, we may: unblock your drains; examine your stormwater system; perform CCTV inspections of underground pipes; locate tree root intrusions in your plumbing; check sewer lines for issues; assess backflow prevention devices; check your gutters and downspouts to ensure proper roof drainage; and provide you with recommendations on the necessary stormwater repairs to keep your property safe.

Protect Your Home Before the Next Storm Arrives

With preventative maintenance, most plumbing problems resulting from storms can be prevented. Professional inspections can detect blocked drains, broken pipes, tree root problems and stormwater problems before they escalate into a problem.

To keep your home safe, protected and secure, before, during and after storm season, Premium Sydney Plumbers offers CCTV drain inspections, stormwater assessments, drain clearing and emergency plumbing services throughout Sydney.