With winter coming to an end, spring is right around the corner, which means heavy rain fall. Not only does the rain keep you cooped up indoors, but it can also cause both minor and serious plumbing problems. Learning about the effects of heavy rain, you’ll know what to keep an eye on to eliminate the need for expensive repairs.
Broken Pipes
Heavy rain causes the ground around your home to become soft, which allows the underground pipes to move around. When the pipes are shifting around, they have to withstand additional pressure from the movement as well as extra weight from water rushing through them, causing them to rupture. When this happens, emergency plumbing service will be needed to fix the issue.
To help avoid broken pipes, especially during heavy rain fall, it’s important to replace pipes as they age.
Blockage
During heavy rain, debris collects in your gutters and will make its way into your drain pipes, causing them to become blocked. To avoid blocked pipes, periodically clean your gutters to remove additional debris and keep trees close to your home cut short. In the case of free-related blockages, your plumber might have to dig up the blocked pipes to reduce the pressure and blockage causes by nearby tree roots.
Flooding
Flooding can cause detrimental damage to a home that can be very expensive to repair, but by taking a few preventative steps, flooding can be avoided.
Flooding is caused by insufficient drainage around your home so if you live in an area that is prone to flooding, be sure to:
- Install a sump pump to help remove water from your foundation
- Remove debris debris from your gutters to reduce overflow
- Ensure your downspouts gave adequate water flow and are distant from your home
Need plumbing repair after heavy rain? Give us a call today at (603) 518-5777.
