What is a Storm Water Drain?
Storm water drains are designed and engineered to handle heavy rain but when your storm system is compromised it can cause serious and expensive damage to your home.
Putting off cleaning out your storm water drains could be a very expensive decision if unexpected storms and heavy rain were to hit Melbourne. As you are aware, Melbourne has had several one in one hundred-year storms recently so don’t risk putting your storm water maintenance off for another day.
For minimal cost you will have maximum peace of mind knowing your storm water drains have been checked by an expert Master Plumber at Essendon Plumbing Services.
What Can Happen if My Storm Water System Fails?
Flooding, pooling of water and prolonged leaks from storm water pipes can undermine the foundations, footings and stumps supporting your home. This can cause the following damage:
- Cracked and leaning brickwork
- Walls moving caused by stumps dropping
- Cracked plaster walls
- Ceilings, tiled walls and floors can loosen caused by movement in your homes foundation system
The cost of underpinning or re-stumping your home is an extremely expensive exercise not to mention the repairs that need to be carried out inside your home once this is done
Remember, in an Emergency there is often very little we can do while the rain is pouring down, that’s why Essendon Plumbing Services recommends routine inspections of your home storm water system. If you have a worry or a concern about your storm water drains, then don’t leave it too late, contact us at Essendon Plumbing Services where here to help.
How do Storm Water Drains Work in Melbourne?
Storm water drains are designed to prevent water flooding and pooling on your property, they do this by taking water away from your roof, paved areas and driveways via a series of gutters, downpipes, underground pipes and pits to a common council drain usually located in your street. Some storm water systems in the older areas of Melbourne discharge into kerbs on the street or laneways at the rear of the property.
The water then flows into rivers and creeks before entering our bay. This is why it is critical we don’t tip pollutants down our storm water drains as it ultimately ends up in our public waterways and beaches.
Common Causes of Blocked Storm Water Drains in Melbourne
- Cracked and broken pipework will cause blockages in your storm water system. Older earthenware pipes found throughout the older more established areas of Melbourne are more prone to cracking and collapsing due to their age and movement in the ground. When a section of pipework breaks off, it will enter the drain and cause an obstruction eventually blocking the drain. Once broken off the soil around the pipe will collapse into the drain causing further sections of pipework to become brittle and break.
- One of the most common causes of clogged storm water drains is tree roots. Tree roots are always searching for moisture, a cracked and leaking storm water drains are the perfect environment for tree roots to thrive. Once inside, the pipe tree roots have all the nutrients they need to grow. Therefore, it’s important to remove them as soon as possible to prevent extensive damage. The larger the tree roots are the harder they are to get out. If caught early enough, we can remove tree roots by high pressure hydro jetting your drains or using a mechanical sewer machine and rods -sewer snake. If left too long it may require a complete dig up of the storm water drainage pipe.
- Moss and mortar from tiled roofs, leaves and sticks blown into gutters from trees, foreign matter like tennis balls, toys, plastic bottles and cups and even dead animals like birds, rats and possums are all common objects we find in storm water pipes. Once inside, drainage pipes restrict the flow exiting the storm water system and cause blockages and flooding.
Therefore, it is critical to get your storm water drains cleared as soon as you notice you have a blockage. It is an expensive exercise to dig up drains not to mention the damage it does to surrounding landscape areas, so the earlier you repair it the smaller the section of pipework that needs to be dug up and replaced.
How to Prevent Storm Water Damage
Two words: Routine Maintenance
Keep your roof, gutters and downpipes clean, see our blog on gutter cleaning. Cleaning your gutters and downpipes at least once preferably twice a year, will prevent objects entering your storm water system and causing blockages.
Sweep up and remove green waste from driveways and paved areas before it enters storm water pits and grates and flows into your drains during the next rain.
If you notice flooding or pooling of water and suspect you may have a blocked or clogged storm water drain, then call an expert licensed plumber ASAP. Don’t leave it till it’s too late, remember the earlier you attend to it the less damage will be done and the cheaper the repair will be. Call your local plumbing storm water specialist on 1300 231 976 and be ready for the next storm.
How We Unblock Your Storm Water Drains
- Hydro-Jetting “High Pressure Water Jet”
Hydro-jetting uses high pressure jets of water to scour the pipes internal walls; cleaning roots, sediments, dirt or sand, then flushing it out the drain. Hydro-jetting is extremely effective on difficult and hard to clear storm water drains. The advantage of a Hydro-jet is it completely scours the walls of the pipe then flushes the system clean.
- Mechanical Sewer Machine “Sewer Snake”
Sewer Snakes are another form of drain cleaning equipment. Prior to the introduction of Hydro-Jetting, sewer machines were the go-to piece of equipment for plumbers to unclog storm water and sewer drainpipes. Sewer snakes can also be used to retrieve items out of drains and cut or punch holes in stubborn blockages and larger tree roots. We often use a drainage snake in combination with a Hydro-Jet to get through the most stubborn blockages.
- Excavation and Replacement
Excavation is always a very last resort, if everything else fails it is sometimes necessary to excavate to remove existing damaged pipework and replace it with new. Our expert team of plumbers can sometimes provide alternative methods of getting rid of your storm water, like suspending pipes under your home to prevent expensive excavation works. You can be assured that, at Essendon Plumbing Services, we will explore all options and alternatives before digging up your drains.
- CCTV Drain Inspection
Once a storm water drain is cleared and running freely, Essendon Plumbing Services always completes the job with a CCTV drainage inspection to make sure there are no other concerns within the drain.
Need you Storm Water Drains Cleaned?
If you’ve been holding back on getting your gutters and downpipes cleaned or your storm water drains inspected, don’t wait any longer! Spring rains are just around the corner and Essendon Plumbing Services are here to assist.
We can clean your gutters, downpipes and storm water drains leaving you with the peace of mind knowing you’re ready for the next storm.
Call us on 1300 193 298 or book online.