Rainy Day Plumbing Problems

While getting plenty of rain may be a good thing for lawns and gardens, it can sometimes spell trouble for a home’s plumbing system. Even though the pipes within your home are in excellent condition, they can still face problems coming from outside your home.

No matter what time of year, rainfall could always be an issue in Central Virginia. Preventative service and routine maintenance are always the safest and most cost-effective way to avoid a serious plumbing problem.

Broken Pipes

A heavy rainfall can cause the ground to become saturated with water. When this happens, it can cause the soil to expand and shift, possibly rupturing or breaking buried pipes. If this happens you may notice discolored water and debris coming into your home.

Blockage

Heavy rain also brings debris like leaves, trash, and dirt. These things can make their way into the vent stack pipes on your roof or clog drains in the sewer system. One telltale sign that this has happened is when your drains seem sluggish and the water won’t drain as quickly as it normally should. You may also notice the foul smell of sewage.

Septic Flooding

Flooding is a natural result of heavy rains. If you are on a septic system, heavy rain may saturate your drain field preventing your septic tank from properly releasing water. This may require some adjustments to your septic tank system or limiting your water use until your drain field has a chance to dry again. Heavy rains can also saturate the soil around your septic tank, increasing the pressure around the tank itself.

Flooded Basements and Crawl Spaces

If your home sits on uneven ground that doesn’t drain properly, heavy rains could cause your basement or crawl space to become flooded. Serious issues like water damage, rotting wood, and mold growth can occur creating weeks or even months of cleanup and repairs. If this is a reoccurring issue, you may want to consider installing a sump pump to help remove water during a heavy rain.

Cleaning out your gutters and down spouts can help reduce the chance of flooding in your basement or crawl space as well. If your gutters are filled with the debris and the down spouts are clogged, rain water will spill over your gutters and into the ground around your foundation.

It is important to make sure that your plumbing system can handle the problems that come with heavy rains. If you feel that your home’s plumbing system is in need of maintenance or repair, don’t hesitate to call Bradley Mechanical today. When there is water involved, damage can happen fast. Bradley Mechanical’s plumbing experts will make your repair a priority and work quickly to solve your plumbing issues. Our certified team has decades of plumbing experience which means we won’t waste your time or money. Give us a call today at (804) 748-6728 and “We’ll Get You Outta the Fix You’re In.”