Blocked Stormwater Drains: Causes and Solutions
Do you need help clearing your blocked stormwater drains? Lexicon Plumbing & Gas Fitting are blocked drain specialists servicing the Blue Mountains and Western Sydney regions. We will identify the root cause of your blocked drains, pipes, and sewers and provide a lasting solution.
What Is a Blocked Stormwater Drain?
A blocked stormwater drain is a plumbing problem that occurs during an inclement weather event such as a heavy rain or a storm.
In order to collect rainwater and properly release it to the storm water drainage system in your street, your property should be equipped with gutters, downpipes, and storm water drainage pits. However, water pooling from your gutters is an indication of a blocked stormwater drain.
Causes of a Blocked Storm Water Drain
Apparently, there are several significant factors why your stormwater drains get blocked. Let's find out what they are.
Tree Roots
In New South Wales and the ACT, blocked drains caused by old tree roots is a common issue, especially since many homes there have large trees and sewer pipe connections.
Trees have an incredible knack for finding and exploiting the smallest cracks in sewer drains, invading the pipe with their roots and draining its nutrients until a plumber arrives to fix the blocked drain.
Because of the warm, nutrient-dense environment of many sewer pipes, large trees are particularly appealed to grow and thrive inside them.
Garden Debris
In areas with trees nearby, it is common to see leaves and twigs blocking the stormwater drains. These leaves typically come from roof gutters that go via downpipes and end up in the storm drains. If not cleared out quickly, they will decay and turn into organic waste and further block the drains completely.
Heavy Rainfall
Rainwater can occasionally overflow drains, particularly if the sewer and roof drains are already in poor condition.
As heavy rain falls, the torrent rushes through the drainage system but cannot escape fast enough because of the dirt build up clogging the drain. As a result, heavy rainwater accumulates and causes flooding and water damage to the surrounding area.
Blocked stormwater drain happens when the gutters are not maintained properly. Since pipes are not designed to handle a lot of water, all the leaf debris and dirt build up can flush into the pipes at once when heavy rains fall.
Cleaning your gutters and plumbing maintenance will assist you prevent flooding and property damage brought on by a clogged stormwater drain.
Broken Pipes
Improper pipe installation is another main issue behind a blocked stormwater drain. Due to environmental matters such as earth and tree movements, stormwater pipes tend to break and become misaligned. In return, the pipes will have an edge or lip that traps other debris towards the drain.
When such a lip forms in the pipes, waste and sediments become trapped inside and gradually accumulate over time, ultimately clogging the stormwater drain.
Incorrect Connection and Undersized Pipes
Another reason for clogged drains is poor craftsmanship or installation. We frequently encounter inadequate pipe sizing, which can result in blocked drains, or drains built in such a way that water cannot flow.
Drains may occasionally have a belly or dip when they are installed. Though, this belly or dip allows water to pass but will trap sediments and later on get your stormwater drain blocked.
Corrosion
Just like any other plumbing system, stormwater drains are also vulnerable to corrosion due to the amount of moisture they are exposed to.
Typically, microbial matter that is carried in with water and plant debris can cause the corrosion of corrugated steel, which is the material commonly used in stormwater drains.
Significantly, as corrosion starts, cracks and crevices in a stormwater system may also start to develop. Stormwater system made of concrete is especially prone to damage from extended exposure to heat.
The resulting fissures could also cause your stormwater drainage system to leak, which could eventually cause further damage to the areas nearby.
Other Debris
Typically, foreign objects that restrict the passage of water cause drains to get blocked. Once debris starts to accumulate, it may also induce other smaller objects to become entangled in it, resulting in a blocked stormwater drain.
As much as possible, ensure that you have a regular plumbing maintenance and you perform major drain cleaning at least twice a year.
Broken and incorrectly installed pipes can also act as entry points for foreign objects like dirt, tree roots, and other debris. As they accumulate, these obstructions are then drawn into the plumbing system and disrupt its natural flow. Thus, resulting in a blocked stormwater drain.
Stormwater Drainage Solutions for Blocked Stormwater Drains
Depending on the cause of the blocked stormwater drains, you can fix the blockage through the following solutions:
High Pressure Water Jetting
A power washer with a sewer jetter attachment can unclog your stormwater drain fast. Basically, the tool uses high-pressure water to go through your pipes and dislodge stormwater blockages rather than pressurise them.
Any obstructions, including those produced by tree branches or roots, can be removed by the stream of pressurised water. Other plumbers may even use a CCTV drain camera to help them locate and determine the type of clog there is before using any kind of pressure jet.
Although you can use a pressure washer to accomplish the task, it is still best to hire a professional plumber to work on your drain to prevent further damage to your property.
Drain Cleaning
Of course, drains should be regularly cleared to become functional. If you are hesitant or inexperienced to work on a blocked stormwater drain, it might be better to call trusted clearing services to do it for you.
Stormwater drains are quite laborious and meticulous so you should not settle with just a quick fix. Hence, you should solve the main cause of the clogging of your storm drains.
Pipe Relining
As what we have learned, blocked stormwater drains cause pipes to crack. With this, one of the best solutions to fix this is through pipe relining.
In order to complete this operation, a professional plumber first removes any obstructions before injecting epoxy glue into any gaps in the existing framework. The resin then will solidify to form the new pipe.
The major benefit of this method is that it is fully non-invasive, economical, and adaptable to any kind of drain. What's more, pipe relining only uses a few portions of the entire drain so you won't even have to think about affecting the entire system.
Install Gutter Guards and Grates
The purpose of gutter guards is to keep leaves, pine needles, and other scrap from building up in your roof gutters. As a result, they can help your gutters last longer by preventing rust and corrosion.
Most importantly, these guards will prevent the leaves from falling down through the storm drains. By installing gutter guards and grates , you can prevent all the hassle of having stormwater drain blockages and getting blocked drain plumbers to fix it.
Clear Your Blocked Drains With Lexicon Plumbing & Gas Fitting
Identifying the cause of a blocked stormwater drain is tough and even more difficult to solve. The process is not only arduous, but it can also be messy and tiresome.
Fortunately, you can rely on trusted plumbing services like Lexicon Plumbing & Gas Fitting. We are experts in the plumbing industry with over 15 years of experience and we can help you quickly fix any clogged drainage issue.
Once the problem has been detected, we can then determine the most suitable solution for clearing your drain. We can use high-pressure water jet to unclog blocked drains as well as perform thorough CCTV drain inspections for a potentially blocked sewer system.
