Rain, rain, we don't mind if you stay!

We love being cozy with a cup of coffee during the rainy season! However, there are a couple things you should be aware of that might cause issues in your plumbing due to the downpour.

1. Broken pipes: A large rainfall, especially one that arrives after a long dry spell, can create shifting in the ground. This puts pressure on underground pipes that can cause them to break. Older galvanized steel pipes that often suffer from corrosion as they age are the most susceptible to damage. If you discover discoloration, grit, or debris in the water coming from your faucets after a storm, you probably have broken underground pipes. A plumber can locate the break and repair it.

2. Blockage: Pipes can become backed up after a rainstorm because of the immense amount of debris that rain will deposit into storm drains and down-pipes. This type of clogging is rarely something a sink plunger can alleviate and will require the work of a plumbing expert. Debris on the roof can also block the drain vents, which will cause sewage odors to seep up through your drains.

Hard rain doesn’t need to become a disaster for your plumbing if you act fast to solve issues that appear. Plumbers can help you with precautions as well: along with a sump pump, they can replace older pipes that might break due to ground shifting.